Lego: E-methanol from captured CO₂ used to produce plastic parts

Danish toy manufacturer Lego is using e-methanol as an alternative feedstock for the first time in the production of more than 90 different plastic components. These include connectors, cross axles, steering wheels and the hands of Lego minifigures. The company aims to gradually reduce its reliance on fossil-based raw materials in plastics production.

The e-methanol is produced using a Power-to-X process. Hydrogen is first generated using electricity from renewable energy sources and then combined with captured biogenic CO₂ from a biogas plant to produce methanol. The CO₂ would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. The e-methanol obtained through this process serves as a feedstock for subsequent plastics production.

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The initiative is based on a collaboration agreed in April 2023 with Danish energy company European Energy and pharmaceutical group Novo Nordisk. European Energy produces e-methanol at a Power-to-X facility in Kassø, Denmark. According to Lego, the introduction of the alternative feedstock follows more than five years of development and testing.

Integration into existing production processes
According to the company, one of the main challenges was integrating the alternative feedstock into existing production facilities and manufacturing processes. The e-methanol is therefore introduced into a continuous production process in which fossil-based feedstocks are still used.

This approach allows the proportion of renewable feedstocks to be increased gradually without fundamentally changing existing production processes. Requirements relating to the safety, quality and durability of the plastic components are to remain unchanged.

Lego did not disclose the quantities of e-methanol used or the exact proportion of the alternative feedstock in the individual components.

More information: www.lego.com

Lego Group, Billund, Danmark