Here's how one of the world's most famous toy brands is also leading the conversation on more sustainable tire manufacturing.
Every year, over two billion tires are produced worldwide. This level of production requires an unbelievable amount of materials, such as silica, polyester, and, of course, rubber— up to 12 million tons of the stuff, in fact.
That raises the question: Is there a method to produce tires that doesn’t require such a vast amount of rubber? It’s certainly a tricky situation. Tires are needed for so many aspects of our modern society; we can’t just get rid of them altogether. And rubber has been the material of choice for tires for over a hundred years, so any change would require a full rethinking of the classic tire formula and a commitment from the industry’s biggest players.
More Sustainable Tires
The good news is that one of the world’s most prominent tire manufacturers is now addressing this issue directly. A company in Denmark that produces over 300 million tires annually introduced a new formula earlier this year that could help reduce its reliance on rubber.
Who is this industry leader paving the way for tire sustainability? Well, you’ve almost definitely heard of them before… but you probably associate them more with bricks than tires.
That’s correct: the company responsible for a massive chunk of the world’s tire production is LEGO. LEGO was officially recognized for its tire production output by the Guinness Book of World Records back in 2006, which noted that: “Even though LEGO® products are unlikely to fit an everyday car, they do fit all descriptions of a standard tyre, albeit of the solid rubber variety. Even the rubber compound used for the LEGO® products would not be out of place on a domestic car.”
Here’s a look at LEGO as a tire company, and the revolutionary way it’s now approaching manufacturing and sustainability.
Is LEGO Really a Tire Company?
Obviously, manufacturing tires for toy cars is a little different than making them for real automobiles. LEGO tires have classically been made from 100 percent rubber, while the standard automobile tire is around 45 percent rubber. Although they’re just toys, LEGO tires still require significant resources to produce.
With that in mind, the company has been developing a better way to make its tires. And earlier in 2025, LEGO revealed its solution to the world: a tire made from recycled ocean materials, including rope and fishing net.
“Over the last five years, we have invested significant time in developing and testing this new recycled material to ensure it meets our high standards for quality, safety, and durability,” said LEGO’s Chief Sustainability Officer Annette Stube. “The tires are just one of many options we’re working on to make our products more sustainable, and it’s encouraging to see something this innovative making it into our sets.”
To start, this new recycled formula will be used in seven LEGO tire pieces, each of which will contain at least 30 percent recycled materials. While it’s unlikely that tires made from recycled ocean waste would be road-worthy, the conversation about increased sustainability in tire production has officially begun—and LEGO is a major player.
Sources
- Plastics Today, “LEGO Introduces Sustainable Tires Made From Recycled Ocean Materials,” 2025
- Guinness Book of World Records, “Largest annual volume toy tyre manufacturer ever,” 2006
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