The Denmark-based Lego Group has converted more than half of its packing lines from single-use plastic bags to paper-based versions as part of its ongoing push for sustainable packaging. 

56% of its packing lines for Lego bricks have swapped single-use plastic bags for paper-based ones. 

The company began replacing single-use plastic for housing bricks inside their boxes in 2022. 

The new inner bags are made from paper sourced from well-managed Forest Stewardship Council (FSC C117818) certified forests, recycled material and other controlled sources. 

Five of the group’s factories are currently operating with the paper-based bags, with the implementation described as largely complete at its sites in China and Vietnam.  

Full deployment is scheduled for its facilities in the Czech Republic and Hungary by 2026, and in Mexico by 2027. 

The company reported that, measured by weight, 93% of its overall packaging already consists of paper, cardboard or other paper-derived materials. 

Lego also referenced its internal research indicating that 81% of children care about recycling and 80% are interested in reducing waste, suggesting that packaging changes are aligned with expressed preferences among younger consumers. 

The group plans to continue adjusting and improving the paper-based packing lines to boost their operating speed and ultimately exceed the output of the legacy plastic-based machinery. 

In a landmark move for the packaging industry, 55 founding organisations recently committed to the forthcoming UK Packaging Pact, which is set to launch in April 2026. 

The new pact, initiated by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in partnership with PackUK and backed by the UK Government, extends its scope beyond plastics to all packaging materials and pledges to shift industry practices across design, reuse, recovery and data integration.