LEGO rolls out eco-friendly tires made from 30% recycled materials

LEGO has begun incorporating its new, sustainably-made tires into current sets.

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Mrigakshi Dixit

The recycled rubber material does not alter the look or feel of the tire.

LEGO

Kids’ favorite LEGO vehicles are getting a greener upgrade. The LEGO Group has just announced a major step in their sustainability journey: new tires made with over 30% recycled materials.

LEGO is taking waste products that would otherwise have negative environmental impacts and giving them a new life in their iconic toys.

These materials fishing nets, ropes, and recycled engine oil are now being used sustainably. LEGO takes these discarded materials, processes them, and combines them into a new, durable material called rSEBS (recycled styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene).

As per the company’s announcement, LEGO has begun incorporating its new, sustainably-made tires into current sets.

Interestingly, the recycled rubber material does not alter the look or feel of the tire. By the end of 2025, these tires are projected to be included in roughly 120 different LEGO sets.

“This is an exciting step in our ambition to make LEGO products more sustainable and reduce our dependence on virgin fossil fuels. Over the past five years, 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,” said Annette Stube, the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

“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,” Stube added.

LEGO aims to produce its entire product line using more renewable and recycled materials by 2032.

You will be surprised to know that Lego is the world’s largest tire producer. Despite being a toy company, it reportedly produces over 300 million units annually.

They offer a diverse range of over 65 tire sizes and styles, from small motorcycle tires to large off-road ones.

Synthetic rubber production is an energy-intensive process that can result in environmental pollution. And the LEGO products eventually end up in landfills.

LEGO’s new tire material achieves two key goals: it reduces waste, and it lessens the company’s reliance on new fossil fuel-based materials.

“The introduction of this material, known as rSEBS*, is part of the company’s broader efforts to make LEGO Group bricks and packaging from more sustainable materials,” the company noted in the press release.

The company has explored 600 different materials so far to increase the use of renewable and recycled resources in its products.

In 2021, LEGO worked on an ambitious project to create prototype bricks from recycled PET plastic bottles.

However, after two years of research and development, the company faced an unexpected challenge. New Atlas reported that transitioning to this new manufacturing process would actually increase LEGO’s carbon footprint. And the company dropped the plan.

The global toy brand is determined to transition its iconic bricks to more sustainable materials. Furthermore, LEGO has set a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37% by the year 2032.

But LEGO’s commitment to sustainability doesn’t stop with tires. They’re also using bio-polyethylene made from sugarcane, “recycled artificial marble” for transparent elements (like windows), and exploring innovative materials like e-methanol and ePOM.

Mrigakshi Dixit Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.

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