EDMONTON -- In an effort to improve sustainability and keep Lego blocks out of the trash, Lego is expanding its Lego Replay initiative to Canada, allowing kids to donate their old Lego blocks to Canadian childrenâs non-profits.
The company announced Monday it would expand the program into Canada after a successful year-long pilot run in the U.S., which saw more 100 tons (90,000 kg) of bricks donated for reuse.
Through the Lego Replay Program, Canadians can ship their used Lego bricks, sets or elements for free. Once received, each brick will be sorted, inspected and cleaned, and shipped out to kids and classrooms in need.
The company says it has seen a âdramatic increaseâ in donations to the Lego Replay program since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
âWeâre sure thatâs a combined mix of people wanting to help [âŚ] but also people being home and taking time to clean up some of those bins that they may have never gotten to before,â Lego spokesperson Lauren OâHara told CTVNews.ca.
âOne of the silver linings of this pandemic is that weâve been able to move so much more quickly to get these bricks into peopleâs hands. Weâve had organizations moving at much more rapid paces to ensure their children have the right materials for virtual learning.â
In March, the company shifted from larger classroom-sized donation boxes, to smaller individual-sized boxes to promote safer learning in classrooms.
âWe know that a problem a lot of teachers are having is that their learning and play materials cannot be used in the classroom right now because they donât have enough to go around,â OâHara said, noting that the company will put an added focus on providing donation boxes to Indigenous communities.
âSo, weâre hoping to donate these exactly like weâre doing in the U.S. to support learning and after-school programs without putting any children at risk.â
Lego, like other big brands, is looking to please consumers worried about plastic's impact on the environment. The company is working to find other materials for its colourful bricks, but finding one as durable as plastic has been a challenge.
âFor us, every single element we are making has to be and perform exactly like the element that weâre trying to replace,â OâHara explained.
The company recently invested US$400 million to expand and reinvest into the product development team to accelerate the development of plastic-free Lego.
âOne of the things we have been able to achieve is taking out all of the single use plastics in our products. Starting this year, we will be moving forward with paper pre-packed bags. These are the bags found inside of our Lego sets that house each one of our bricks,â OâHara said.
âFor us, the more immediate need was to replace these single use plastics which sometimes get recycled, but often times just get thrown away.â
Canadians are able to donate âany and allâ Lego bricks, including Duplo, small bricks and big bricks. They donât need to be full sets or organized by type or shape. Instructions for shipping the donations can be found on