Lego abandons green initiative due to impractical new brick formula.

Lego Gives Up Latest ⁤Effort to Go ‘Green’ After Discovering New Brick Formula​ Isn’t Viable

Lego ‍is not just a favorite toy for my child, but also for my wife⁣ and maybe​ even for me. I might have ‍a ‌Lego Porsche 911 hidden in​ my‍ office, but let’s keep that between ⁢us.

The habit is a bit of a guilty ‍pleasure for conservatives, however, since Lego ​tends to be — as so many European-based corporations in general‌ do, and Scandinavian-based ones in ⁣particular — ⁤thoroughly bewoked.

However, when business and progressivism collide, what ​tends to get‍ produced is an object⁢ lesson ⁤in reality.⁣ And so be it in the case ‍of Lego, which — ‌as you may have ⁢noticed — is ‌made out of plastic.

Plastic,‌ as you⁢ may have heard, is Very Bad. That’s why drinking straws now fall apart before the job⁤ is done.

And that’s a problem for⁤ the Denmark-based plastic brick conglomerate: The bricks are made out of plastic, plastic requires oil, and oil is one of the Very Bad parts of plastic that needs to be replaced.

“Most Lego pieces are⁢ currently made ⁢from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic,” The Wall Street Journal noted on Monday.

“The company‍ has also been using a bioplastic ​made from⁤ sugar ⁢cane for several years‌ to produce smaller, softer pieces such as trees, ‍branches, leaves ⁣and accessories for its ⁣minifigures. ‌This bioplastic, known as bio-PE, isn’t currently suitable for making harder,‌ stronger elements such as its bricks though.”

So Lego⁤ tried making its bricks from corn, according ⁣to the Journal.‌ Those were too ‌soft. It tried wheat. Those bricks didn’t look right.

Other materials made the bricks too ⁣hard to pull apart.‌ Still other materials lost their grip over time.

Finally, Lego ‍thought it had⁢ hit upon the magic bullet‌ — or brick, as ⁤it were: one made⁣ out of recycled​ plastic ​bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (that’s “PET” to the cognoscenti).

What could possibly go wrong? It’s recycled, ​ right? The oil has already ‌been put into ⁣it. How could ‌something that sounds so ⁣wonderful turn out not to be?

The Wall Street Journal: “Lego is ⁣scrapping‌ plans to make its toy bricks from recycled plastic bottles after determining ​that switching ​to the material would result in ​it‌ producing higher carbon emissions.”

Oh. Well, I suppose that’s ⁣ one way, yes.

See, as it turns ⁣out, after ‌announcing what the Journal described as⁣ “a⁢ high-profile effort launched just over two years ago” ​to ⁤make the company’s bricks out ​of recycled PET, someone ⁢decided ‌to 1) finally ‍run some numbers on whether this ‍was actually “sustainable,” or (more likely) 2) someone decided to finally run some realistic numbers, as opposed to best-case ​scenarios, ⁣on the sustainability of recycled PET bricks.

“The ⁢company found a one-liter plastic PET bottle could produce around 10 of its ⁢classic 2×4-stud bricks. The company has been testing bricks made from the material for their quality, durability and ‘clutch power’  — the name‍ Lego gives to the brick’s ability⁤ to lock together with‍ other bricks,” the outlet ⁣reported.

“Lego said ⁢it is abandoning the effort because it⁣ found that scaling up production⁣ wouldn’t cut‍ the company’s carbon emissions: The extra steps⁢ involved​ in production would ⁢use more energy and manufacturing⁤ facilities would require ​retooling.”

But don’t worry, Lego insists. Failures will ⁤continue until morale improves.

“We remain fully committed to ‍making Lego bricks from sustainable⁣ materials by 2032,”⁣ said a Lego representative, according to⁢ the‌ Journal.

“Recycled PET is one of hundreds of different sustainable materials we’ve tested.”

Thomas Edison reportedly once said, “I have⁢ not failed. I’ve just​ found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Which ⁣sounds a bit like Lego’s conundrum. Except for the fact that it‌ had long ​succeeded in its primary mission of​ making successful toys. Then ​it decided that was actually a failure, and is working on finding 10,000 ways to make it worse — ‍including a recycled plastic brick that actually increased carbon emissions in the long run.

Only in our‍ brave new green ⁢world. Nice work, everyone.

The post Lego Gives Up ‍Latest Effort to Go ‘Green’ After Discovering New Brick Formula Isn’t ⁣Viable appeared​ first on The Western Journal.

What ⁣were the emissions associated with ​making Lego bricks ⁣out of recycled PET bottles?

Assic Lego ​bricks, but the emissions ‌associated ⁣with ⁤making ‍ ‍‌‌‍‍‌‏‭‎‏‌‌‍‍‏‍‍‏‍⁣‍‏‏‍‍‍‍‏‌‏‌‏‍‌‭‍‎‌‌‎‏‍‏‪‍‏‍​​‏⁣‏‍‪‏‍‎‎‏‏‏‍‏‍‏‍‍‍‍‍‌‏‭‎‍‎‍‏‭‍‍‏‎‍‍‏‏‍‎‎‍‍‎‏‏‎‍‬‏‏‎‍‎‎‬‎‬‪‍‎‍‏‍‎‎‏‍‎‌‏‎‭‍‪‬‪‏‍‏‎‬‬‬‬‮‮‬‏‭‏‍‬‬‍‍‎‍‌‎‎‏‬‏‌‌‌‍‏‪‏‍‍‍‌‎‎‏‍‍‏‏‭‎‏‍‍‍‍‍‎‍‏‎‏‏‬‏‬‎‬‏ature‍ ‌‏‍‬‎‍‏‎‎‎‬‏‌‎‍‎‏‏‬‏‍‌‪‌‍‬‏‍‍‌‌‬‌‌‍‬‏‭‎‎‎‬‭‎‏‎‏‎‏‬‪‏‫‍‏‏‌‬‍‌‏‫‍‍‏‭‏‏‪‬‎‌‎‌‎‎‎‏‏‏‎‬‪‏‍‭tically bricks exceeded conventional bricks,” the Journal ⁣reported.

So, ⁣in other words, making⁤ Lego bricks out of recycled PET bottles would actually have a larger carbon footprint than making them out of conventional plastic. Oops.

And thus, Lego has given up​ on its latest effort to go “green.” Back to conventional plastic it is.

Now, ⁣don’t ‌get me wrong. I’m not here ⁢to bash Lego ⁂for this decision. In fact, I commend the company for actually ⁠‌taking the ⁣initiative to try and find a more sustainable material for its