Table of Contents
The company Lego, famous for making colorful plastic bricks, has decided not to make those bricks from recycled plastic bottles.
It found out that using recycled plastic bottles would actually cause more carbon emissions, which is not good for the environment. It had been testing this idea for more than two years.
However, Lego still wants to find better, more environmentally friendly materials for their bricks. It has set a deadline to do this by the year 2032.
Lego usually makes their bricks from plastic that is made from oil. However, two years ago, the company started to look into using recycled plastic bottles made of a material called PET. PET plastic doesn’t change or become weak when it’s recycled.
Lego has already invested over $1.2 billion (€1.13bn) to try to be more sustainable and reduce carbon emissions by 37% by 2032.
Now, Lego is testing other kinds of sustainable materials. It’s looking at using other recycled plastics and plastics made from different sources like e-methanol. E-methanol is created using renewable energy.
Lego will also continue to use bio-polypropylene, a more sustainable type of plastic, for some Lego parts.
Lego was started in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen in Denmark. The name Lego comes from two Danish words, “leg” and “godt,” which mean “play well.” Kristiansen didn’t know that “lego” in Latin means “I assemble.”
Vocabulary
- Brick – a small, hard block used to build things
- Decide – to choose something; make a choice from many different options; select
- Recycled – material that is being used again, material that was changed; reused
- Find out – discover; learn; understand
- Cause – make something (usually bad) happen; create
- Carbon – a chemical element found in all living things; the C in CO2;
- Emissions – gas, heat, or light that is released or sent out; often refers to pollution from burning fuel
- Environment – the natural world; the place we live; the area around us; nature; Earth
- Test – to do something to learn if it is safe, works correctly, etc.; try out
- Environmentally friendly – eco-friendly; not bad for or damaging to the Earth; sustainable
- Material – a physical thing that you use to build or make other things (cotton is a common material used to make t-shirts)
- Deadline – a specific time or date that something must be completed or submitted; time limit
- Look into – To investigate or research something
- Weak – not strong; low performance; bad
- Invest – put money into; spend money on a project or business
- Billion – 1,000,000,000 = one-billion
- Sustainable – something that you can continue to use without causing damage to the environment or using up all the resources; eco-friendly; not bad for the Earth;
- Reduce – to make less; make smaller; decrease; bring down; shrink
- Source – any thing or place from which something comes from or is obtained; where something comes from;
- E-methanol – a liquid fuel produced by combining green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide using renewable energy for the process
- Renewable energy – energy generated/created from renewable sources (wind, solar, water, etc.)
- Danish – Something that relates to the country Denmark 🇩🇰
- Assemble – to construct; to build; to put together
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- Do you think that Lego should continue to invest in research and development for new sustainable materials? Why or why not?
- Do you believe it’s important for companies like Lego to set goals for reducing carbon emissions? Why or why not?
- Can you think of other ways Lego or other toy companies can help protect the environment?
- Do you know any other companies that are trying to be more environmentally friendly?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
The _____ Lego, famous for making colorful plastic _____, has decided not to make those bricks from recycled plastic _____.
It found out that using _____ plastic bottles would actually cause more carbon emissions, which _____ not good for the environment. It had _____ testing this idea for more than two years.
However, _____ still wants to find better, more environmentally _____ materials for their bricks. It has set a deadline to _____ this by the year 2032.
Lego usually _____ their bricks from plastic that is made from oil. _____, two years ago, the company started to look into using recycled plastic bottles _____ of a material called PET. PET plastic doesn’t change or become _____ when it’s recycled.
Lego has already invested _____ $1.2 billion (€1.13bn) to try to be more sustainable and reduce _____ emissions by 37% by 2032.
Now, Lego is _____ other kinds of sustainable materials. It’s looking at using other recycled _____ and plastics made from different _____ like e-methanol. E-methanol is created using renewable _____.
Lego will also _____ to use bio-polypropylene, a more sustainable type of plastic, for _____ Lego parts.
Lego was started in _____ by Ole Kirk Kristiansen in Denmark. The name Lego comes from two _____ words, “leg” and “godt,” which _____ “play well.” Kristiansen didn’t know that “lego” in Latin means “I _____.”
