Lego is considering a brick rental scheme in an attempt to cut down on plastic waste.

The Danish toymaker has vowed to make all its bricks from sustainable sources by 2030 and is plowing significant resources into finding alternatives.

Tim Brooks, vice president responsible for sustainability, said the company was “totally open” to the idea of a product rental scheme but acknowledged that lost pieces could pose a significant problem.

He told a Financial Times manufacturing conference, “It has to come down to the value proposition.

“We have to start at the point that says what is in it for the consumer. That is what we are just unpicking at moment.”

He said the rental scheme was “possible” but admitted there were some “technical barriers,” one of which is the complexity of some Lego kits, many of which contain thousands of pieces.

“What are the chances of giving them to an 8-year-old child and getting them all back again?” Brooks added.

“There is a lot of technical thinking that needs to be done. We are right at the beginning of that.”

Brooks said Lego was exploring several ideas with a view to producing the highest value from products while consuming the least amount of resources.

He said many would “probably never see the light of day” and there was no current plan to trial a rental scheme.

Lego has come under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint amid growing international alarm about the impact of plastic waste on the environment.

It manufactures 19 billion pieces per year — 36,000 a minute — that are made solely of plastic whilst much of the internal packaging is also plastic.

So far, the sole breakthrough has been the development of a line of bricks made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane. These were first included in Lego sets late last year but comprise only 1-2 percent of the total amount of plastic elements produced.

Lego reportedly emits around a million tons of carbon dioxide each year, with about three-quarters coming from raw materials that go into factories.

The company has invested more than US$129 million and hired 100 people to research non-plastic alternatives.

It is aiming to keep all of its packaging out of landfill by 2025.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【投入】tóurù plow into invest (money, etc.) in

【问世】wènshì see the light of day become publicly known or available

为减少塑料浪费，乐高公司正考虑积木出租计划。

这家丹麦玩具制造商承诺在2030年前使用可持续材料制造所有的积木，并且正在投入大量资源寻找替代品。

该公司负责可持续发展的副总裁蒂姆●布鲁克斯称，公司目前对积木出租计划的想法持“完全开放”态度，但也承认积木丢失可能是个大问题。

他在英国《金融时报》的一次制造业会议上表示：“这归根结底属于价值定位。”

“我们必须从消费者的利益出发，目前正在解决这个问题。”

他表示，出租计划是“可能的”，但也存在一些“技术障碍”，比如许多乐高套件很复杂，包含数千件小片。

“把它们给一个8岁孩子，再把它们都带回来的可能性有多大？”

“还需要思考很多技术问题，这才刚刚开始。”

布鲁克斯说，乐高正在探索几个想法，以生产最高价值的产品，同时消耗最少的资源。他说，许多想法“可能永远也不会实现”，目前还没有试验租赁计划。

在国际社会日益关注塑料对环境的影响之际，乐高公司在减少碳排放方面面临着越来越大的压力。

该公司每年生产190亿块塑料积木，每分钟生产3.6万个，而且大部分内包装也是塑料的。

到目前为止，唯一的突破是开发出了甘蔗提取物制成的植物性塑料积木。去年年底，植物积木首次出现在乐高玩具中，但只占全部塑料积木产品的1%至2%。

据报道，乐高每年排放约100万吨二氧化碳，其中约四分之三来自工厂采购的原材料。

该公司已经投资超过1.29亿美元，并雇佣了100人来研究非塑料替代品。

公司的目标是在2025年之前使所有的包装材料可重复使用。

(chinadaily.com.cn)