Lego and "No End-of-Life"
Eco-Design and Lego.Let us start with the first comment:
"kawaiikiora
Sounds good for the eco-marketing bandwagon..
however as most of LEGOs manufacturing is now carried out in:
- Nyíregyháza in Hungary
- Monterrey in Mexico
- by 2015 a mega factory at Jiangxi nr. Shanghai in China
however as most of LEGOs manufacturing is now carried out in:
- Nyíregyháza in Hungary
- Monterrey in Mexico
- by 2015 a mega factory at Jiangxi nr. Shanghai in China
I wonder how their life cycle analysis footprint, sustainability and recycling with match up to the production still carried out by the original plant in
Billund, Denmark..
Billund, Denmark..
NO WAY will the relatively high Quality Standards, LCA sustainability and ´honesty´ in Denmark be met by plants in China, Mexico or even Hungary…
PS:. in spite of record profits 2013 it was still decided to lay off Danish workers at the Billund Plant,..."
PS:. in spite of record profits 2013 it was still decided to lay off Danish workers at the Billund Plant,..."
As production continues to transfer from the West to the East, will Eco-Design or 'Design for a Circular Economy' (DfCE) be able to be truly authentic? You decide.
For related resources, Design for Disassembly, Eco-Design, Environment and AD Technology guidelines related to this can be downloaded for free at:
Originally posted at:
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/lego-design-sustainability-circular-economy
Lego: toy maker is exploring building blocks for sustainability
Lego's director of environmental sustainability tells of the toy's focus on eco-design and addresses circular economy challenges for the product with no end-of-life.
Lego figure looks scared in Lego Movie 2014, but director of sustainability contends there is no end-of-life for Lego products. Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros/Sportsphoto Ltd.
There are more than 90 Lego bricks for every person on the planet, according to Lego's senior director of environmental sustainability Tim Brooks. While this makes the toy maker a highly visible user of plastic, the durability and modular nature of its product portfolio has also seen Lego become a poster child for the emerging circular economy.
Lego's signature brick has been built for compatibility as far back as 1958 and has been designed to last just as long - each element can be used again and again, with no end-of-life in sight. "It is so rare that something you bought in 1958 can still be used with something you buy off the shelf today. Lots of other consumer products aren't compatible in that way," observes Brooks. "We have looked in detail at the circular economy, and will continue to do so, but sometimes it feels like loops for loops' sake and in this instance, there may not be a loop."
Where Lego feels it can add most value is during start-of-life: eco-design. It is embedding greener design principles into the manufacturing process, linking them to wider zero waste ambitions. In late 2010, it embarked on a design for disassembly initiative for its Duplo chassis models.
"It evolved from our work with life cycle thinking and the cradle-to-cradle concept," he recalls, adding that its rationale - reduced environmental impact, design simplicity, faster manufacture and more streamlined material flow, made perfect business sense.
Most Lego elements are mono material products, made of ABS plastic. But the Duplo chassis featured metal axles, so Lego worked with its designers to remove these axles and replace them with plastic plugs capable of securely attaching wheels. Using one material instead of two sped up the production process and led to simpler assembly.
"We are now plugging the wheels onto a wheel base rather than putting a metal axle in – this cuts down the number of individual [build] processes you have to take," says Brooks. He adds that the new design is cheaper to produce and environmental impact has improved between 10-20% depending on the chassis type being assembled.
The project also led to a less tangible benefit – that of educating staff about the benefits of environmental consideration. "We have used the knowledge to develop an assessment methodology so our designers can begin to understand the impact of the decisions they make when developing a Lego set," says Brooks. "Each time a new element is designed it now gets an environmental score."
Lego's ultimate aim is to build eco-design so effectively into the products that designers don't even realise they are making conscious environmental choices during the creative process.
"One of the challenges for our designers is that they have lots of other constraints. Do children want to play with the toys? Is it fun? Does it come in the right colours? Have we got the right number of pieces at the right price point in the right-sized box? We try to keep it as simple as possible … it's about giving them the best available materials and have them do the best they can with them," maintains Brooks.
As new products are developed, the toy maker will be looking to apply eco-design principles more widely across the business. This could have implications for another focus area – the search for more sustainable materials. The raw materials Lego uses for its bricks represent 30% of its greenhouse gas emissions and it is looking to implement greener alternatives by 2030.
Brooks says due to the complexity of how Lego elements are constructed, this will involve working with cutting edge material suppliers with a view to developing partly and fully bio-based materials.
"We want to be able to make informed decisions when we evaluate new materials. Unfortunately there is not one single material that can provide all the properties we need and is also more sustainable, so we must look at how we can minimise the environmental impact of new materials without compromising our key requirements on safety, quality and durability," he explains.
Because the toy industry is so highly regulated, safety and quality issues are paramount. The prospect of Lego using recycled material in its products is therefore not a valid option due to contamination issues. This dampens any potential for remanufacture, but the rise of Lego rental and reuse sites such as Pley and Rebrickable has prompted the toy maker to consider other options such as takeback schemes.
"We have trialed the return of Lego pieces … however most consumers are proud of their Lego collection and do not want to give it back. The durability of the product means it rarely gets disposed of," says Brooks before adding: "We don't like to think there is an end-of-life for the product."
Maxine Perella is an environmental journalist specialising in the zero waste and circular economy agenda
For related resources, Design for Disassembly, Eco-Design, Environment and AD Technology guidelines related to this can be downloaded for free at:
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