LEGO Materials Sustainability

[Black Six]

LEGO is looking for feedback from the community regarding the perception of sustainable materials and how you would see such a thing be applied to LEGO. Below are a few questions they've posed. If you have time to answer them, that would be awesome!

 

First, please list what consumers can generally expect when a toy product is made of "sustainable materials". Kindly elaborate your answers and provide examples, if possible. The richer descriptions you provide, the more we know excatly what you mean!

Secondly. please rank what is most important to consumers. Please motivate the ranking (1. = most important etc.)

 

What characteristics of the LEGO experience are currently most important to consumers? For each characteristic, please describe excatly what it is about. The more explanation you provide, the better we understand your input.

Secondly, please rank what is most important to consumers. Please motivate the ranking (1. = most important etc.)

 

What characteristics of the LEGO experiences are relevant to consider when addressing "sustainable materails"? Rich descriptions and examples, please.

Secondly, please rank what is most important to yconsumers. Please motivate the ranking (1. = most important etc.)

 

Is there anything else you feel is important regarding Sustainable Materials that wasn´t covered in the questions above, that might help get a better view about the topic?

 

Feel free to elaborate as much as you'd like on any of the questions and provide additional comments. The feedback is needed by noon on Tuesday, September 1st.

 

Thanks!

[Ta-metru_defender]

Yoooo, this is important stuff.

 

1.

When I hear 'sustainable' I expect it to be made out of something that isn't a tax environmentally. Sustainable paper plates means they'll be able to degrade over time and won't be, y'know, sitting in a landfill for centuries. Furthermore, I'd expect it to be made from recycled material or in a such a way that minimizes its environmental impact. For a toy, that means a focus on using reusable energy and sourcing materials that are renewable. If there's a plastic that uses less oil or is an 'artificial' oil or what have you, that's what I expect when I hear sustainable. it's a way that 'saves the earth' and makes sure there's still gonna be an earth years from now.

<3rd Important>

 

2.

For me, quality. When I blow half-a-paycheck on a Lego set I know I'm getting something that lasts. I know the materials are solid, won't break, and always fit perfectly. Lego bricks I have from twenty-odd years ago fit with ones I bought this month. Not to mention the old ones still hold up. The quality is solid as heck.

The other thing most important to me when buying (and perhaps what influences my purchases overall) is price. I've bills and rent and whatnot, so I wanna make sure I'm getting bang for my buck.  

<1st Important>

 

3.

If Lego's going sustainable, I'd love for the price to go down. Finding an (economic) alternative to oil that's affordable and makes Lego sets 10% cheaper? Dude, I'm there. If, at the least, Lego can break even (and keep prices constant, or at least constant with inflation), it's gonna make me happy.

Because economic sustainability really excites me, but I still wanna buy Lego at a similar price point and comparative quality. I don't want eco-friendly Lego that breaks if I step on it; I've come to expect a great deal of quality from this brand.

<2nd Important>

Edited August 27, 2015 by Ta-metru_defender

[fishers64]

Erm...I tried. 

 

1. I tend to think of Lego products as made out of plastic, which is inherently unsustainable forever. "Sustainable toy product" feels like "jumbo shrimp" to me. The most sustainability I can think of is toys that last and can be passed on to future generations that are high quality. This reduces the amount of toys that need to be made - and if the toys can be reused, they are not going to end up in landfills as much as cheap toys you get at the dentist office that are prone to breaking.

 

I think plastic is actually recyclable, however - so Lego might be more sustainable (or could be made more sustainable) than other recyclable materials. This, with the notable exception that recycled plastic has a reputation for being less durable, which would be problematic for Lego production. 

<3rd Priority>

 

2. Most important to customers? Being able to build whatever you want with them. It's the idea that if you get bored with the thing you built out of the box, you can take it apart and turn it into something else - without having to buy a whole new toy. It's also the potential that a certain set of parts have to become the thing you want them to be, not just the thing on the box. And also, being able to build the thing on the box, whether it's a ferris wheel or an action figure. The kid buys the set because he wants to build the ferris wheel, and his parents buy it for him because when he gets bored of the ferris wheel, it can become something different. So getting what you paid for and opening the door to more creative possibilities.

<1st Priority>

 

3. Durability of parts I think is key. For example, a lot of 2007-2010 Bionicle parts were prone to breaking, and I think a lot of those broken parts might have been recycled or been thrown out. Any improvements in sustainability really can't come at the price of durability of parts, because every broken part takes down Lego's sustainability quotient considerably.   

 

In general, sustainable materials brings to mind two things - stuff that "sustains" itself or lasts for a long time (like an automobile or a metal wrench) and a bunch of crummy "environmentally sustainable" materials that is basically cheap junk that doesn't work. Like reusable shopping bags and toys made in china out of recycled plastic. The first definition is definitely what I think Lego should go with, and not the second.

<2nd Priority> 

[BryceDuyvewaardt]

With the word "sustainable materials" in mind, three main categories appear where

A) the material is drawn from a source and/or manufactured in a way that has low to no negative environmental impact

B) the material is drawn from a source and/or manufactured in a way that has low to no negative environmental impact while the finished product is easy to either recycle, compost or be repurposed beyond it's original product lifespan

C) the finished product is easy to either recycle, compost or be repurposed beyond it's original product lifespan

I would love for LEGO to really pursue developing a bioplastic that may not biodegrade (as that could pose health risks while breaking down compared to the chemically inert ABS) but would be created using grown material that is farmed in someway (but permanently hold their shape), as this could be a breakthrough for other industries involved in plastic that can't afford such a huge investment in R&D like Lego. (1,most important etc.)

Echoing what others have said before, I find that durability of the material plays a massive role in product design. While model making with fragile materials rewarding, it often isn't suited for kids or adults who on a whim can decide to deconstruct their creation and throw all the parts in storage until a new configuration idea comes along. That said, designs involving reinforced pieces featuring slightly more material could be a simple solution to stress on weaker material. (2, second most important)

The LEGO experiences relevant to addressing "sustainable materials" is very subjective, however I appreciate the fact that the ABS is recyclable (including the older BIONICLE containers, LEGO Technic Hockey containers, etc. Looking ahead, one way LEGO could really add appeal to sustainably made bricks is to make them CLEARLY unlike existing pieces, where LEGO could phase in the pieces with a series of select sets featuring special textured stamping on the surface of the sustainable parts, or if possible allow the parts to be transparent to see the mix of the bio-based plastic pulp to drive home the message that "you are building with PLANT MATTER WHICH IS SOMETHING REALLY AMAZING". (3rd priority)

[Black Six]

Thanks for the feedback guys! The deadline has been extended to Tuesday, September 1st, so keep those answers coming!

[You just lost the game]

1.

I have to say, I'm not really one who particularly likes the idea of Lego changing their plastic.

It reminds me of the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". At this moment in time Lego's plastic is some quality stuff that lasts a long time. I'd say if you're going to go "green" with Lego plastic, the only way it would work is if you made the plastic easily recyclable.

 

It obviously can't be a biodegradable plastic, considering I plan on passing my sets down to my children. I can't have my sets turning to mush when I'm 50.

On top of it all, it should NOT really be made out of recycled parts. In my opinion, things made out of recycled plastics are much weaker than they originally were, and end up degrading faster.

 

If anything, Lego should make there plastics last even longer than they do now. At least you can pass on your toys to the next generation when the time comes.

[3rd priority]

 

2.

Lego has to set their standards of quality very high. If I'm going to spend $100 on a Lego set, I expect to be purchasing something that'll last a VERY long time, and something that is designed well. If Lego's quality ever lowered, they'd never see another penny from me.

 

In my opinion, the quality of Lego's sets is what they should put above all else. I buy them because of their quality in longevity and design.

At this moment, both the longevity and designs of Lego's sets are top-notch. But of course, they can always do better in the future.

[1st Priority]

 

3.

If Lego is deciding to go "green" they ABSOLUTELY MUST make sure the quality of the plastic is not a step below from what we have now.

Durability and longevity is what I want to see from Lego's sets. I don't want Lego to put "sustainable materials" over quality.

[2nd Priority]

 

In my opinion, I find nothing wrong with Lego's current plastic.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

 

Thanks for listening,

YLTG

Edited August 29, 2015 by You just lost the game

[Black Six]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I've passed it on to LEGO.