The Danish company announced on Sept. 15 that it will be phasing out the plastic packets used to contain small Lego pieces and swapping in more environmentally friendly paper bags in their place. Lego expects the transition to take five years to fully complete, the Associated Press reports.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb The toymaker also stated that the change comes after children began writing to the company asking for the plastic bags to be discontinued out of concerns for the planet. “We have been exploring alternatives for some time and the passion and ideas from children inspired us to begin to make the change,” Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of Lego, said in a statement. One other plus side? The new paper bags are not only more eco-friendly, but also much easier for children to open. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. Lego is not alone in seeking out more eco-conscious materials for their products. In 2019, Hasbro announced that it would be phasing out all plastic packaging by 2022. And in January, Mattel announced that their Lego competitor, Mega Bloks, would no longer be made of plastic and would instead be constructed of a bio-based resin. Mattel also announced a line of Mega Bloks made from bio-based sugar cane plastic. “Companies are trying to be more environmentally conscious with their products, whether it’s using their packaging that has less plastic or making sure that their packaging is part of the toy,” Maddie Michalik, senior editor of Toy Insider magazine, told the AP. “It’s really taking over the industry and we’re going to see a lot more of it this year.” Unfortunately, there was no word on whether or not a development was in the works to make the bricks any less painful to accidentally step on. And for some other fun facts about Legos and more, check out 125 Facts That Will Make You Feel Instantly Smarter.
