Lego introduces tires made with recycled materials

Billund, Denmark – Lego Group has introduced a new, more sustainable material for selected tires used in its building block play kits, the Danish toy manufacturer announced 26 Feb.

The material, it said, is created by repurposing discarded ropes and nets from ocean vessels which is then combined with recycled engine oil to reduce reliance of virgin fossil fuel-based ingredients.

The material, known as rSEBS, are blends of styrenic block copolymers (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) and other components, with the lowercase r indicating that some of the components are of mechanically recycled origin.

Introduced initially in seven Lego tire pieces, each containing at least 30% recycled content, the end-products are said to be “indistinguishable from existing tires.”.

Lego said it expects the new tires to be used in approximately 120 different sets by the end of 2025 and plans to explore ways to expand recycled content across more tire styles in the near future.

The market introduction reflects Lego’s ambition to make its products more sustainable and reduce our dependence on virgin fossil fuels, said Annette Stube, the group’s chief sustainability officer.

“Over the past five years,” she said, “we have invested significant time in developing and testing this new recycled material to ensure it meets our high standards for quality, safety, and durability.

“The tires are just one of many options we’re working on to make our products more sustainable and it’s encouraging to see something this innovative making it into our sets,” added Stube.