The Lego Group is making good on its promise to spend 1 billion Danish Krone ($150.5 million) to develop new sustainable materials for its plastic Lego toys and packaging materials. This includes the establishment of the Lego Sustainable Materials Centre in Billund, Denmark.
In a statement about Lego’s financial performance for the first half of 2015, the company says it has begun hiring engineers to develop alternatives to petroleum-based materials. “Today I am excited to share that we have just welcomed on board the first of the more than 100 employees we will be hiring to work on this challenge. I look forward to sharing the progress we make against this important initiative in the coming years,” said John Goodwin, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
The company also says it increased its recycled waste by 3 percent in the first half of 2015, achieving a 93 percent recycling rate compared to 90 percent in 2014. The Lego Group also improved its energy efficiency by 5.4 percent over last year.