One of the most popular toys worldwide for kids for kids (and adults), Lego building blocks are made from a very strong and resilient petroleum based plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. While inspiring design creativity, the bricks are far from environmentally friendly, with millions of tonnes currently sitting on the ocean floor and washing up on beaches.

As a result of pressure from environmental groups however, Lego recently revealed that they will be investing over 150 million (USD) in the next five years to find a suitable alternative to the plastic they currently use. As part of the initiative, they have invested $150 million into a Lego Sustainable Materials Centre that, in addition to their own current employees, will employ over 100 additional people secialising in materials science. The goal of the centre is to concentrate on finding the best and most sustainable material with which to create its blocks. Lego hopes that by 2030, all the materials they use – from bricks to packaging to other toys, will be from entirely sustainable materials.

More than 60 billion Lego pieces were manufactured from more than 77,000 metric tons of raw material in 2014. So a switch to sustainable material would reduce Lego’s environmental impact significantly. Good news!