When my son turned 6 yesterday, he received a LEGO set from his grandparents. He already has a few LEGO sets (all second-hand, there is a whole market for that), but this one did spark my interest nevertheless. It is set 41749, which depicts a young buy (Peter) demonstrating against the felling of a tree with an owl nest in it, being assisted by a news agency – and complete with a happy looking lumberjack trying to cut down the tree.
I found the whole scene hilarious – a worldwide brand criticized for its reliance on fossil fuel ingredients selling a LEGO set in which you see the dire situation of an average environmentalist. As if Amazon would sell a toy set in which you see low-wage factory workers striking against the Amazon management to gain better working conditions. But it also reminded me of the sustainability challenges we are facing today, and which are not easy to solve.
LEGO, like many companies, has been trying to replace fossil fuels for a while now, although it has not (yet) been successful. I use two articles in my Sustainability Challenges class to cover this. One article explaining some success LEGO has made in a project to replace its ABS plastic with recycled PET, and then another (more recent) article which explained the company dropped the project, as the carbon footprint was not much better than the original fossil fuel based bricks. Back to the lab, my class on sustainable challenges within companies concludes.
That does not mean that LEGO is dropping its efforts, as it delivered a press release in 2024 stating that by 2026 50% of its plastic bricks would be sourced from renewable or recycled materials (the press release cannot be found on LEGO’s website anymore though). But it does point towards something we see everywhere around the world – it is not easy being (or becoming) green. With every three steps we take forward as environmental scientists, we are forced to take two steps back.
Just like the scene in LEGO set 41749 might show in its clever image – for every three trees saved, two will need to be cut down. Many companies which honestly try to embrace sustainable practices and mindset will or have realised this. But this does not mean we should stop trying as environmental professionals. Quite the contrary, with enough research, work and dedication, we can (and need) to improve those ratings. In the face of challenges, we need to keep building – brick by brick.
Source: Wikipedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_lego.jpeg
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