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The new rubber compound uses over 30 per cent recycled materials in its construction, but there’s a small catch.
Did you know the world’s largest tyre manufacturer rolls out over 300-million units each year, some 50 per cent more than the number-two producer? No, it’s not Dunlop, Michelin or Goodyear... the world’s largest tyre producer is Lego.
As part of the Danish company’s goal to remove fossil fuels from the plastic in its construction bricks by 2032, Lego has turned its eye to the rubber in its tyres and created a new material that uses recycled waste products.
Over 30 per cent of the new tyres are made up from repurposed fishing nets, marine rope and used motor oil. The rubber will form seven unique tyre pieces, with some of the new tyres already rolled out into sets.
Lego plans to use the new compound tyres in up to 120 sets by the end of 2025.
The tyres aren’t the first Lego components to use renewable materials. The company uses biopolyethylene (bio-PE), a plastic made from sugarcane, in over 200 elements, and all transparent components (eg. windscreens) are made up from 20 per cent recycled artificial marble (arMABS).
Lego has a catalogue of over 65 different tyre sizes and styles, ranging from smooth, 3mm-wide motorcycle style rubber to 60mm-wide off-road tyres.
For sets produced between 2018 and 2022, the most common rubber (487 pieces) is a 21mm x 12mm tyre used on regular ‘Town’ set vehicles (above).
One of the rarest Lego tyre types is a licenced and branded Michelin racing tyre that featured on just one set, the 8461 Williams F1 race car of 2002.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
