LEGO Replay could evolve into earning money for old LEGO sets

A long-standing initiative that repurposes old LEGO sets and donates them to charity could evolve into a way for fans to make money from old sets.

Alongside a recent announcement that the LEGO Group will be scrapping its plans to make bricks from recycled bottles, the LEGO Group’s Head of Sustainability Tim Brooks told the Financial Times that the company would also be looking into ways to repurpose the billions of bricks sitting unused in people’s homes. This marks a wider shift from the LEGO Group away from solely looking into sustainable materials and investing in a circular economy that would see LEGO elements be recycled and reused.

This isn’t an entirely new idea for the LEGO Group, with the LEGO Replay initiative already in action in the United States and Canada. Old LEGO sets can be donated to be sorted and cleaned before being distributed to charities for more children to make use of them.

While talking to the FT, Brooks outlined his hopes that the LEGO Group would find answers about how to best collect and sort the bricks in the next two to three years, presumably partly from LEGO Replay as it plans an expansion into Europe. This could then pave the way for a more commercial offering where LEGO fans could earn money from handing back their old sets to be reused and packaged as new sets.

“It’s better to reuse than recycle,” Brooks explained. “We’re looking at a circular business model: how do we earn revenue from recircling bricks? It’s quite a shift in thinking and ideas.”

It’s worth noting that such an idea is very much in its infancy stages right now. From Brooks’ comments, the LEGO Group will be gathering ideas and information for at least two or three more years – but perhaps this early discussion might be a reason to hang onto those old LEGO bricks and sets (in case you needed a reason not to declutter).

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by buying your LEGO sets using our affiliate links. Thank you!