Danish toymaker Lego has presented its first building bricks made out of recycled drinks bottles — an experimental project that if successful could eventually go into production.
In a statement Wednesday, the group said the prototype uses plastic from discarded bottles from the United States. On average, a one-liter bottle provides enough raw material for ten Lego bricks with two rows of four studs, said the company which is based in Billund, western Denmark.
“We know kids care about the environment and want us to make our products more sustainable,” said Tim Brooks, the Lego group’s vice president of environmental responsibility. “Even though it will be a while before they will be able to play with bricks made from recycled plastic, we want to let kids know we’re working on it.”
The company said its discarded bottle suppliers use processes approved by the US Food & Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority.
The bottles are made of PET plastic, or polyethylene terephthalate, which doesn't degrade in quality when recycled.
The prototype followed more than three years of research during which hundreds of variations of PET materials and other plastic formulations were tested, Lego said. It can fit with Lego elements made over the past 60 years.
Lego said its team will continue to carry out tests over at least a year and then assess whether to move to the pilot production phase.
Lego was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well.”
Nestlé has dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a direct subordinate. The company announced on Monday that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found that Freixe violated Nestlé’s code of conduct. He had been CEO for a year. Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive, will replace him. Chairman Paul Bulcke stated that the decision was necessary to uphold the company’s values and governance. Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 and has held various roles, including CEO of Nestlé's Nespresso division since 2024.
Kraft Heinz is splitting into two companies a decade after they joined in a massive merger that created one of the biggest food companies on the planet. One of the companies will include brands such as Heinz, Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraft Mac & Cheese. The other will include brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles and Lunchables. When the company formed in 2015 it wanted to capitalize on its massive scale, but shifting tastes complicated those plans, with households seeking to introduce healthier options at the table. Kraft Heinz's net revenue has fallen every year since 2020.
