Uploaded October 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This summer, the legendary Danish toy manufacturer LEGO announced a breakthrough: lasting bricks made from recycled PET, derived from soda bottles. The research project was considerable, requiring a staff of 150 working through 250 different plastic compositions to create a recycled plastic brick that met LEGO’s tough quality standards.
Although an engineering success, on September 25, the company announced the suspension of the project, as an analysis of the carbon footprint of the recycling process showed no net benefit compared to oil-derived plastic resin. The company is switching research efforts to versions of resin derived from e-methanol, feedstock made from waste CO2 and hydrogen. Made from hydrogen derived from electrolysis powered by clean energy, this could prove to be truly zero carbon polymer resin.
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STEM GAMES:
Play some fun engineering-based STEM games on engineering.com:
engineering.com/resources/games
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ENGINEERING.COM TV:
Watch in-depth engineering videos made for the engineering professional and found exclusively on engineering.com TV:
For the Design Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=designing-the-future
For the Manufacturing Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=manufacturing-the-future
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#lego #recycledPET #carbonfootprint
This summer, the legendary Danish toy manufacturer LEGO announced a breakthrough: lasting bricks made from recycled PET, derived from soda bottles. The research project was considerable, requiring a staff of 150 working through 250 different plastic compositions to create a recycled plastic brick that met LEGO’s tough quality standards.
Although an engineering success, on September 25, the company announced the suspension of the project, as an analysis of the carbon footprint of the recycling process showed no net benefit compared to oil-derived plastic resin. The company is switching research efforts to versions of resin derived from e-methanol, feedstock made from waste CO2 and hydrogen. Made from hydrogen derived from electrolysis powered by clean energy, this could prove to be truly zero carbon polymer resin.
* * *
STEM GAMES:
Play some fun engineering-based STEM games on engineering.com:
engineering.com/resources/games
* * *
ENGINEERING.COM TV:
Watch in-depth engineering videos made for the engineering professional and found exclusively on engineering.com TV:
For the Design Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=designing-the-future
For the Manufacturing Engineer: engineering.com/viewAll?category=manufacturing-the-future
* * *
#lego #recycledPET #carbonfootprint
