Environment

Plastics

All standard LEGO and DUPLO elements and some of the baseplates are manufactured from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), which is the plastic material used in the largest quantities. The most obvious benefits derived from using this material are the bright, shiny colours that can be achieved, as well as the ability to maintain its shape and its resistance to scratching. ABS is also resistant to perspiration, saliva and other substances with which LEGO elements often come into contact.

Our buckets and some of the other storage packagings and containers are manufactured from PolyPropylene (PP).

The primary material used in the manufacture of transparent elements is PolyCarbonate (PC) which is, however, not particularly resistant to fatty substances. The use of small quantities of colorant results in attractive elements. PC is also used for elements which require strength and rigidity.

Sometimes other characteristics are required and other materials are used. The reasons for using other materials include a need for extreme mechanical strength or sliding characteristics, abrasion resistance, elasticity, durability and hardness.

Thus, a large proportion of the plastics, which are generally available, are used in the manufacture of the LEGO product range.

The moulds used in LEGO Group factories are so designed that waste is minimal. However, we may discover a quality problem in a batch of manufactured elements. In such cases, we scrap the elements concerned and sort them. When the colour is changed in the moulding machines, this also leads to the rejection of a number of elements. Most of these rejected elements are returned to the manufacturing process. In fact, less than 1% cannot be reused in this way.

Before reusing re-ground materials, we check to ensure that their purity is at the same high level as that of new materials. If it is not, the material is rejected and sold for other purposes.

Semi-manufactured goods

Not everything in the LEGO product range is produced by us - some parts are semi-manufactured goods purchased from suppliers all over the world. For example, we buy motors, transformers, metal components, electronic components, semi-manufactured plastics and rubber components and magnets. Our external suppliers work in accordance with the same environmental and quality requirements as the LEGO Group's own factories.

Packaging

LEGO packaging is designed to protect the contents and to present our products in an attractive way. The packaging must also provide the consumer with optimal information on the set's contents - around 60% of sales to consumers are in self-service retail outlets. Lastly, packaging is designed so that packing at the factories can be efficient.

Plastics in packaging

The plastics, that the LEGO Group currently uses for its packaging, have been selected because, among those available with today's technology, they are least disruptive to the environment. They are:

• PET (PolyEthylenTerephthalate) - also known as PETE - and SB (StyreneButadiene) for vacuum-formed packaging components.
• PP (PolyPropolene) as film for outer wrappings and bags.
• PET as window film.
• PE (PolyEthylene) as shrink-wrap film.

The quantity of plastics used in LEGO packaging is declining, both in terms of the number of plastic components and in total weight. One of the reasons for the low weight is that, when we changed over from PVC (PolyVinylChloriede) to PET in 1990, we were able to reduce the material thickness by some 30% for vacuum-formed packaging components and by between 25% and 30% for window film.

The plastics we use today are, in principle, suitable for recycling, provided that the problems associated with collection and sorting are solved. Collection and sorting systems are currently being established in most European countries.

Printed materials

We do not yet use recycled paper for our brochures. This is because paper manufacturers have still been unable to develop qualities which fulfil our requirements for a uniform, truthful and attractive representation of our products in the various brochures and building instructions.

However, we are following developments closely and are ready to use recycled paper as soon as it lives up to our quality requirements.

We require the printers, who supply printed materials, building instructions and packaging to the LEGO Group, to use printing inks with the following properties:

• non-toxic
• resistant to saliva and perspiration
• non-soluble and smudge-free
• in compliance with health authority requirements