How much waste does LEGO produce? Statistics & Facts (2026)

LEGO are expected to produce around 34,500 metric tonnes (76 million pounds) of waste from their factories in 2026 — roughly 80% more than in 2020.

For four years running, LEGO have kept more than 99% of factory waste out of landfill. But the totals are moving the wrong way. Waste rose 23% in 2025, pushing LEGO past both of their targets — on total volume and on landfill.

LEGO are the world's largest toy company, and one of the most vocal on sustainability pledging to cut emissions 37% by 2032 and reach net zero by 2050.

By 2026, their factories alone are estimated to generate around 34,500 metric tonnes of waste.

LEGO's annual waste totals (2020–2026)

The clearest measure of LEGO's waste comes from their production sites. LEGO have factories in Denmark, Hungary, Czechia, Mexico, China, Vietnam, and the US — seven sites where every brick is moulded, processed, and packed.

The table below tracks their factory waste from 2020 to 2026. After three stable years, waste rose sharply in 2025, outpacing revenue growth and overshooting LEGO's own ceiling of 30,200 tonnes.

Note: Production sites only, from LEGO's Sustainability Statements. 2020 is derived from LEGO's reported 18% rise in 2021; 2026 is an estimate (LEGO's target: ≤34,800 tonnes). The 2025 jump partly reflects two new sites (Vietnam, US) entering scope. A wider "total waste generated" figure — adding offices, stores, and the LEGO House — began in 2025 at 37,009 tonnes.

What is LEGO?

The LEGO Group is a Danish toy manufacturer best known for the LEGO brick — a product so consistent that a brick moulded today still fits one made in 1958, the year the design was patented.

Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen in Billund, Denmark, LEGO remain headquartered there and family-owned to this day. What started as a carpentry workshop is now the largest toy company in the world, with 33,801 employees, 1,112 branded stores in 54 markets, and seven factories across three continents.

LEGO's scale brings real environmental weight, and they have made sustainability central to their public identity: a science-based target to cut emissions 37% by 2032, net zero by 2050, and a "Zero Impact in Operations" ambition where, in their words, LEGO bricks "never become waste."

LEGO's total carbon footprint (2019–2026)

Beyond physical waste, LEGO measure their impact through greenhouse gas emissions — and this is where the gap between ambition and trajectory is widest.

LEGO's science-based target is a 37% cut by 2032 against a 2019 baseline. In 2025, total emissions stood roughly 62% above that baseline.

Note: Market-based figures, restated under LEGO's updated 2025 methodology, which also raised the 2019 baseline. Around 99% of emissions are Scope 3 — the supply chain, not LEGO's own factories. LEGO's counterargument is intensity: emissions per million DKK of revenue fell from 31.6 to 26.2 tonnes between 2023 and 2025, and growth is now outpacing emissions.

LEGO's own factory emissions (Scope 1 and 2) tell the same story in miniature: 165,300 tonnes CO₂e in 2025, missing the target of 162,500 and the 2026 target has been raised to 173,900 tonnes, budgeting for emissions to rise again.

How much of LEGO's waste actually gets dumped?

Of all the waste LEGO's factories produce, almost none ends up buried in a landfill. The rest is recycled, reused, burned for energy, or otherwise treated.

LEGO call this "zero waste to landfill" — but zero doesn't mean zero. It's an industry convention meaning at least 99% of waste is kept out of landfill. LEGO have cleared that bar four years in a row.

Note: 71 tonnes is little — but landfill waste was almost eliminated by 2023, then rose again, and LEGO missed their own targets in 2024 and 2025. From 2026 the target is simply "under 1% of waste", which at projected volumes allows up to 348 tonnes.

Where LEGO's factory waste comes from and where it goes:

• The biggest waste streams are plastic from moulding machines, wooden pallets, and cardboard.

• All plastic waste from the moulding machines is reused to make new LEGO bricks.

• Around 96% of total factory waste is reused, recycled, or recovered.

Where LEGO's factory waste goes

Note: Figures from LEGO's 2024 Sustainability Statement, the most recent year with a full factory-level breakdown. Nine out of ten tonnes are recycled — but "recycled" covers everything from regrinding plastic into new bricks to sending cardboard and pallets to external recyclers.

LEGO's climate and waste goals

LEGO's environmental plan rests on a handful of commitments:

• Cut absolute GHG emissions 37% by 2032 against the 2019 baseline, and reach net zero by 2050.

• Make products from more renewable or recycled materials by 2032 — in 2025, an estimated 52% of raw materials purchased came from renewable and recycled sources, up from 33% in 2024.

• Eliminate single-use plastic in packaging, with the transition to paper-based bags largely complete by end-2026 and fully by 2027. Over 95% of sold packaging by weight is already paper-based.

• Maintain zero waste to landfill (≥99% diversion) across factories, offices, and stores.

• Achieve "zero impact" operations by decoupling waste, water, and energy from business growth.

Why LEGO abandoned their recycled brick

LEGO's materials pledge hasn't been smooth. In 2023, after roughly two years of work, they abandoned a prototype brick made from recycled PET bottles — the project meant to prove bricks could be made from recycled plastic.

LEGO cited the high costs and emissions of retrofitting their plants, and PET also lacked the "clutch factor" that holds bricks together. It was a rare public reversal, and it pushed the company back toward mass balance as the main route to their 2032 target.

Frequently asked questions about LEGO's waste production

Below, we have answered the most frequently asked questions about LEGO’s waste production.

How much waste does LEGO produce each year?

About 31,700 tonnes from their factories in 2025, and an estimated 34,500 tonnes in 2026. Including offices, stores, and the LEGO House, total waste was 37,009 tonnes in 2025.

Does LEGO send waste to landfill?

Almost none. 71 tonnes went to landfill in 2025 — about 0.2% of factory waste — meeting the common "zero waste to landfill" convention of ≥99% diversion for the fourth year running.

Did LEGO meet their 2025 waste targets?

No. Factory waste came in at 31,701 tonnes against a target of ≤30,200, and landfill waste hit 71 tonnes against a target of ≤50.

Are LEGO bricks recycled plastic?

Mostly no. An estimated 52% of purchased raw materials came from renewable and recycled sources in 2025, but most of that is certified through mass balance — a feedstock accounting system — rather than recycled plastic physically in the bricks.

Only 4% is directly sourced sustainable material. Critics call mass balance a "sleight of hand" that lets companies claim progress without real environmental benefit; LEGO argue it's the best available way to grow demand for sustainable raw materials.

How big is LEGO's carbon footprint?

About 2.19 million tonnes CO₂e in 2025 — roughly 62% above their 2019 baseline, against a target of cutting 37% by 2032. Around 99% sits in the supply chain.

Is LEGO packaging plastic-free?

Nearly. Over 95% of sold packaging by weight is paper-based, and the switch from plastic to paper pre-pack bags is expected to be largely complete by the end of 2026.

Why is LEGO's waste rising if they're becoming greener?

Growth. Revenue rose 12% in 2025, two new production sites entered reporting, and waste grew faster than both — meaning waste is currently not decoupled from growth, despite LEGO's "Zero Impact" ambition.

What happens to old LEGO bricks?

LEGO don't track it — once sold, disposal sits with the consumer. With over 400 billion pieces made — roughly 60 per person on Earth — each with a decades-long lifespan, that's a vast amount of plastic sitting outside any recycling system.

The company runs the LEGO Replay take-back programme in the US, Canada, and UK, and is testing broader take-back and brick-to-brick recycling approaches.