Leadership and responsibility go hand in hand

19 billion Lego elements are produced each year. Over 400 billion bricks have been made since they were first produced. Even with these massive levels of production I have never seen a Lego in the trash. They’re sold by the pound on eBay, Amazon, even on our local garage sale group sites. They keep their value over time, whether in or out of a set. And because of that, they’re often passed down from generation to generation.

Even though Lego isn’t contributing to the plastic waste problem, they still see plastic itself as an environmental issue and they’ve decided to do something about it. Lego has created a Sustainable Materials Centre to develop a more planet-friendly Lego brick. Recently, a Lego brick was created using a new eco-friendly plant-based plastic. The first sustainable Lego element to hit production is, quite appropriately, a tree and it was partially sourced from sugarcane. If you’re interested, the kit that includes the new tree is the Vestas Wind Turbine (10268).

This environmentally conscious company has been a leader in the toy industry for decades. Now they are setting a new standard of responsibility and sustainability that will hopefully inspire other companies to do the same. What could our world look like if all companies behaved like this Nordic gem? I’d like to find out.

What did I learn from this?

When you’re an influencer and a leader, it’s important to act responsibly.