We all love a good Lego set. These little colored plastic bricks, when put together, can create something incredible: giant sculptures, moving parts, little houses, and more. It’s creativity at its finest. But what we don’t see is Lego’s environmental impact. 

In 2010, it was recorded that Legos were made of ABS plastic. ABS plastic contains Styrene, Acrylonitrile, and Polybutadiene, ll polymerized into the plastic we see in legos. The problem with ABS is that it’s non-biodegradable. It ends up in landfills and stays there for years. Why not burn it, you ask? That process releases toxic and polluting gases into the air. There is no easy and safe way to dispose of ofABS plastic, as said by Lego themselves, along with organizations such as the FDA and World Health Organization.

So why am I mentioning this dreary and depressing fact? I bring this to attention because Lego has a new initiative to make a 100% biodegradable Lego. Now some people are bound to ask, don’t biodegradable materials lower the quality of your products? Wrong. In fact,  Lego has blown that argument out of the water.

Large businesses like to say that biodegradable and eco-friendly materials are more likely to break, have less quality, and are just overall bad for business. Well that is hardly the truth. Big businesses don’t feel the need to spend the extra money to invest in safer materials. Spending the extra money has so many benefits, and now it’s been proven to hold up against even the toughest of standards. 

As of 2024, it has been released on the website and multiple internet forums that Lego has found major success in the endeavor, using bio-polypropylene in its new Legos. The plastic is derived from corn, vegetable oils, and sugarcane. It’s nearly 100% biodegradable, and the argument about lower quality? Debunked. 

Lego has crazy standards when it comes to its quality control. If any Lego molds are even slightly malformed, they melt it down and try again. Legos have to be within the millimeter, or they’re not approved. They’re so precise, that nobody is getting their hands on a low-quality batch. And even with the new, environmentally friendly material, quality has not dropped at all.

Lego is setting an example for all big businesses this year and taking the first steps toward a healthier environment. Maybe someday soon, other big businesses will follow suit, and the environmental crisis will take a turn for the better. I don’t know about you, but this makes me feel a lot better about our future. Kudos to you, Lego, and keep it going!