First LEGO set containing paper bags

I haven't handled any, but the looks of these are nice. I'm sure I won't really notice, outside of having to dig through to find the figures and separate them. So I'll still likely have to use ziploc (plastic) bags to reseal the paper bag then...

I had to rummage through my HP sets to see which wizard tiles I had in my boxes sets (since I didn't want to open every bag and I wasn't ready to build it yet). But looks like that won't affect in the future since 2021 shouldn't have the wizard tiles also.

I agree on reducing box size! (I'd also say reduce manual size, or choose a consistent size. When everything is stacked next to each other it's too inconsistent, even within the same set)

So it looks like these bags have a generic pre-print / watermark, plus a bag-specific print with the bag number, QR-code and other bag-specific content. This is good because it points to an opportunity to put more on there such as part types and counts.

I also see it's all black-and-white. That is much less good for printing out part images when parts come in 2+ colors in a set.

Wonder what the QR code does. Bag contents, link to virtual instructions?

@hawkeye7269 said:
" @Patrik78 said:
"But that is the issue, they don't want to save the planet, they just want to have the cake and eat it too, tldr look good, but not hurt their sales. While reducing the box size would probably do more than the bags themselves (more effective transportation, storage, less cardboard paper consumed etc.), it might also bring reduced wow effect from the box itself and possibly lower sales."

I think if you looked at the broad swath of environmentally friendly actions the company takes, you wouldn't be saying this:

-Box sizes have been reduced.
-Plastic (which is worse for the environment than cardboard and paper) is being phased out wherever possible.
-Paper bags have replaced plastic bags in brand retail stores.
-The newly announced factory in Vietnam is going to be carbon neutral, solar powered, and offset construction damage by planting 50,000 new trees.
-Parts manufactured from renewable materials have been introduced, and research on expanding that continues.
-Numerous goals to reduce use of fossil fuels and increase renewable energy usage have been set and met.
-Lego Replay has been introduced to help reduce Lego bricks entering landfills, and instead recycle them to new purposes.
-The company is responsive to suggestions and ideas on how to further reduce that impact.

Sure, Lego is a business that wants to make money, but they're also voluntarily investing significant sums of time, money, and man power into sustainability and reduced environmental impact. I don't think you can chalk that up to the company just wanting to appear environmentally friendly."

Are those 50,000 trees being planted in a way that they will last more than 15min? That is always my problem with that being an answer to CO2 generation.

Lego are doing really well though

Very nice looking! I like that in addition to the "bag number" for the set, it also seems to include the set number and a 7-digit number that is possibly unique to that bag from that set. If so, that could simplify customer service calls in the rare instance that a bag is missing from your set.

Curious what the progress was on these, I guess we will be seeing them in retail next soon.

Just a small though, I wonder if there is any chance that any of the recently cancelled/delayed sets had these bags, and issues with them might have been the vague quality problems Lego referred to. Not sets like the Marvel mechs with clear design issues, but the Santa GWP or the skyline postcards.

I find sets with many different sized instructions a lot more annoying then those thick books, for 3-in-1 3 books is understandable but do sets need like 7 booklets of different sizes?

Bags moving away from plastic is a good thing however I think box sizes should become a bit more economical as well.

I like boxes with a lid and those are usually the ones I keep much longer as you can store things in it because they can be closed easily compared to regular boxes.

Also how will they solve sticker sheet bundled with instructions currently wrapped in plastic?

Sometimes some larger parts end up in seperate non numbered bags as well. (boat parts, big wheels, sails, 16x16 plates etc)

Also some pieces like ninjago weapons or superhero blast pieces have pre determined seperate bags even if not all parts are used in the builds.

I do like the DOTS sorting tray solution, but the bags need to change there for sure as its a theme with a very large number of small bags with different 1x1s.

I hope they continue to put instruction books and sticker sheets in plastic sleeves (and maybe even do it more often.) While it would be unfortunate to have the bags of parts get wet and mushy when the delivery service leaves a box on the porch in the rain, sticker sheets and instruction books in paper bags could be destoyed.

I'm happy with this change. I've never seen any reason Lego has to be packaged in plastic in the first place. Conceivably I might spend a little more time peering into bags to see if I've missed anything ... but clear pieces have a nasty habit of hiding in plastic bags anyway, so I doubt it'll be any more of a nuisance than it is now

Glad people like these "sustainable" paper bags so much. Just don't start crying when you open your MISB sets after 10+ years of storage and find that either the parts are moldy and stink, or they have yellowed inside the closed bags or the instructions/stickers are damaged due to sharp parts ripping the bag up during transit.

P.S. MEGA Bloks did it first!

@monkyby87 said:
" @Patrik78 said:
"Great, now fix the quality of your products pretty please."

What are these quality issues you speak of specifically?"

for me: extremely poor clutch power of the bricks in the ideas typewriter set (ninjago gardens weren't good either, but it was not that bad). if i want to, i can get rid of an applied brick from another by shaking hard and off it goes ...
i really don't complain usually, but this is a level where i don't feel comfortable anymore paying 200$ and getting that quality.

I wonder how flexible these bags (which look fantastic) are when it comes to packing them into a box. They don't look like they could be crammed into a smaller box the way some of the sets have been packed in the last year or too without running the risk of the bag breaking. It would be interesting once it's all up and widely running to see a video of the new manufacturing steps as I guess they will need to change the way the bags are loaded into the box. Perhaps they could do it like some food products where they are loaded in with the box side on from a slip box to ensure no over squishing and broken paper bags.

Bags not being see through is no issue if you empty the bags in seperate trays (for example a multi-compartment tray that comes with a DOTS set)

Why use a recyclable material for the bags? Everybody accurately store them with box and instructions, certainly don't throw them in the recycle bin, isn't it? ^____^

Jokes apart, I like the new bags.
Anyway the point is not if the bag is "recyclable" o not, plastic is 100 recyclable, the change is due to the need to find something biodegradable and adequate to contain the bricks.

A transparent bioplastic could be another solution, more similar to the old plastic bags, but I don't like because of their low durability, it is not possible to keep them for years.

I’ve been looking forward to these! And work space is always a concern, so the standup feature is a fantastic bonus. With larger sets, the plastic bags can take up a whole table and slip and slide all over. Also — while seeing the pieces in clear plastic maintains the nostalgic element of opening a new set (recalling the perforated bags of the pre-numbering days), one trade off here will be the mini surprise of opening each like a blind bag (…at least for those of us who ignore the numbers anyway that is ;)

@Blondie_Wan said:
" @Patrik78 said:
"But that is the issue, they don't want to save the planet, they just want to have the cake and eat it too, tldr look good, but not hurt their sales. While reducing the box size would probably do more than the bags themselves (more effective transportation, storage, less cardboard paper consumed etc.), it might also bring reduced wow effect from the box itself and possibly lower sales."

Except they *have* reduced box sizes."

The Lots of DOTS (41935) sure could've been smaller, but overall it does seem like boxes have been smaller in the past few years.

I am of those afols who when I dissemble a set prefers to keep them in their originally numbered bags for complicated sets as it makes for an easier rebuild.

Sometimes the bags break. Will this happen with the paper bags? Probably, as it happens with the boxes that have perferated openings. I have a lot of these boxes which I have resorted to prising apart the perferation, as I have found that the stability of boxes are weakened considerably if you use the perferated opening instead.

So while this is a step away from plastic, I can see myself having to buy a lot of zip lock bags for sets in the future, so I'm not entirely sure this is a step forward.

They should also stop printing black instructions. So much wasted ink…

I'm all for this.

Next, I think Lego should reduce the size of their boxes. Save paper, allow more product on the shelves, make it easier to store sets for those who keep their boxes.

Since I habitually store unused parts in the boxes they came in, I guess this means I’ll need to start buying a lot of plastic bags. Not kidding.

@illennium:
No need to read reviews. One of the more common comments I hear at my LUG’s displays is that it must take a lot of patience to build these large layouts. Clearly many of the people who view our layouts are still finding the process frustrating even when they’re not the ones primarily building the set.

@hawkeye7269:
Paper v Plastic is still a matter for debate. Paper products use tons of acid during the manufacture process, which is the reason Greek yogurt has been called out as being environmentally unfriendly compared to regular yogurt (the latter contains acid, which is extracted from the former to make it taste more palatable, but then you end up with truckloads of yogurt acid that you can’t exactly dump down the drain). People have been finding inventive new ways to repurpose plastic and rubber products, on the other hand, and there may also be better types of plastic to use for the bags.

@monkyby87:
Two years ago we were doing our last setup of the year at Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and I was about to add my giant Christmas tree to the display. Because it’s too heavy to stand when attached directly to a baseplate, I was going to use 4x reddish-brown 3x3 quarter circle plates with cheese wedges added for the roots. I placed the first one on the baseplate, pressed down, and felt zero resistance as it promptly splintered all over the baseplate. I have a few gallons of 1x2 dark-red plates that are doing the same thing. I want to expand the Home Alone house, and I bought a second copy of the set rather than just ordering loose parts so I know they’re all of the post-fix generation. I also used to have problems with certain white Technic parts cracking about 15-20 years ago. I know someone who was starting to dismantle a MOC, and the edges of all the reddish-brown plates or tiles started to shear off when they were partially removed from the studs they were attached to. This is a real problem. They say they’ve figured out what caused it, and figured out how to prevent it, but there’s no fix for all the existing parts that are just deteriorating with age.

@fakespacesquid:
Plastic bags without the Swiss cheese holes are typically impervious to water. Toss a sealed set into a swimming pool and leave it for a week, and all (or most) of the parts should still be dry even when the box and manual have become unrecognizable mush. Paper bags are going to end up the same way as the box, and the parts inside will get soaked. And ABS, at the very least, is hygroscopic. It’s full of tiny pores that can absorb moisture, and which make excellent breeding grounds for mold. I know someone whose basement flooded so bad the water got into large Rubbermaid tubs. He started cleaning and drying the parts as fast as he could, but eventually he started running into black mold. He said he threw out tens of thousands of dollars worth of parts because there’s just no way to clean the mold out of the parts.

@Zander:
The transparent parts are non-porous, so that is generally true for them. Not for ABS, though. The longer it is left to grow, the deeper into the plastic that mold will get. Left too long, and it’ll even stain.

@AustinPowers said:
"It's a sensible first step for sure.
As others have said, the next steps should be reduction of volume of instruction manuals by returning to not so totally dumbed down versions, plus reduction of their many totally oversized packages that sometimes contain as much as 50% air. "

I agree on both counts. The boxes can still be significantly reduced without resulting in parts smooshed together (and help with the apparent cardboard shortage they had for those Stuntz bikes, resulting in them still not being available here in Australia?).

I’m sure the box size is purely so it looks impressive on the shelf and value for money, but someone more knowledgeable in this area feel free to correct me.

@Patrik78 said:
"Great, now fix the quality of your products pretty please."

What is objectively flawed that causes enough issue that it needs to be immediately fixed?

You know when they first announced this I was picturing brown bags like what you'd use at the grocery store or put you lunch in. The white with little grey bricks printed across is so much prettier!

@Sethro3 said:
"I haven't handled any, but the looks of these are nice. I'm sure I won't really notice, outside of having to dig through to find the figures and separate them. So I'll still likely have to use ziploc (plastic) bags to reseal the paper bag then..."

Ziploc is at least reusable, in the same category as the bricks themselves in that regard, just not to the same degree

I’m glad to see them doing this, even if it is way overdue. However, what about increasing the number of parts in each bag? Paper or plastic, they could create less waste by producing less waste. Do I really need 3 bags for a 250 piece set? Do smaller parts such as studs really need to be in a bag within a bag? Of course with larger adult oriented sets, you sometimes have multiple same numbered bags, why?

I understand the need for larger boxes from a marketing perspective. But let’s be honest, if I’m going to rebuild a set or buy a set used, I’m going to have all 1000 pieces piled up on the floor and I rather enjoy finding the piece I need. Bags of 80 parts is just pointless. Perhaps the real issue is not the material of the bags (paper isn’t exactly environmentally friendly in terms of deforestation and pollution), but the bags themselves.

Can they use the money they save on bags for quality control?

@chrisaw
The Stuntz bikes are definitely available at Kmart and BigW, I’ve bought 3.

@amosnp said:
"One thing I'd like to see is a count of how many of each numbered bag to expect.

On big builds it's chore to pull everything out to make sure you have all the Bag 2 bags. Be nice to have that in the instructions or printed on the bags or an insert if it sometimes changes over time. "

Yes! Finally someone who agrees me!
It's not like it's terribly difficult to just figure it out, but it's really annoying especially on bigger sets where you're digging through piles of 20+ bags. They could totally print a simple '1 of 3', '2 of 3', etc., right on that paper packaging!

I hope this also means we no longer get two different styles of numbering (black,white outline; and black, white stripe) of the bags. That does just not say 'premium'.

I second TomKazutara for looking to reduce the size of instructions. That would probably save much much waste than switching to paper bags. Hope TLG reads this and is aware of it. Hopefully not leaving out the paper instructions altogether referring to digital ones.

Just another question: how noisy are the bags compared to the plastic ones?

Is it actually just proper paper or is it waxed etc? Wondering just how 'recyclable' they'll actually be in certain not-so-first-world countries where only select materials can be processed.

@Mr__Thrawn said: "They’re working on fixing all of those"

I don't think so. The fix for the crumbling stickers exists - they'd just have to use the transparent type. But they keep using the white-backed ones, even in large and expensive sets.

@chrisaw:
I once read that they tried to reduce boxes to their minimum necessary size, and found that it negatively impacted sales if the box became small enough that they couldn’t show the set life-size on the box front. I suspect the “1:1” minifig image on either the top or the front is meant to help convey a more accurate sense of size without forcing a full-size image of the complete model.

@alfred_the_buttler:
One of the benefits of more bags is they effectively double as dunnage, helping to reduce movement of parts during shipping. You could put everything in one bag, but then you might as well have no bag. Different bags are also used for different size parts, which probably allows them to more accurately check for shorted bags.

Regarding numbered bags vs loose pile, I far prefer numbered bags. When I build a set, I want to _BUILD_ a set, not spend hours hunting for needles in haystacks.

@rishi_eel:
Or they could just show you how many bags to find for each section in the instruction manual. I’d prefer that method, actually.

@fakespacesquid:
You assume constant monitoring of sealed sets. What if you run across a basement collection and the mold is found in the back of the bottom of the pile? Plastic bagged parts should still be salvageable, even if the boxes, manuals, and sticker sheets are a total loss. Paper bagged parts you’d have to sort through to find the non-porous parts...which means you’d have to know which ones are non-porous, and be willing to sort through moldy parts to find them.

@Graupensuppe:
I hate the white stickers, but I suspect they keep using it because white backing provides a more consistent look, as well as eliminating the need to ever print white ink.

Minority opinion: this change will lead to the loss of an essential stage in the building process.

Before: open the box, dump out plastic bags, line them up and inspect all the visible pieces, instinctively getting a sense of the entire building process to come. Then open first bag and start building.

With paper bags: line up bags (upright, yaaay!), then open up each numbered bag like a blind bag. Proceed bag by bag, blind.

@PurpleDave said:

@fakespacesquid :
You assume constant monitoring of sealed sets. What if you run across a basement collection and the mold is found in the back of the bottom of the pile? Plastic bagged parts should still be salvageable, even if the boxes, manuals, and sticker sheets are a total loss. Paper bagged parts you’d have to sort through to find the non-porous parts...which means you’d have to know which ones are non-porous, and be willing to sort through moldy parts to find them.]]

At this point, you just have to face reality then and take a loss. It’s natures way of telling you to not let things sit untouched forever.

Seeing a lot of comments about how they should reduce the box sizes. Across the past 5+ years they've been done that. A $50 set now is around 33-50% smaller than it used to be. There's definitely still room in the packaging to go smaller still. To save on space on my backlog of sets I often will open it, and squeeze the air out of the bags tight and put them back in the box. If tightly packed, you could reduce the box size by 50%, but I think that's too tight for normal distribution. Also makes the boxes harder to stand because the weight distribution is moved away from the bottom and spread evenly in the package.

@monkyby87 said:
" @ToyTownBreakDown said:
"Transitioning to paper bags is good. I want the company to revise its box/packaging next. A return to inner trays of some kind is necessary. Not only do they provide reasonable storage they also protect the elements and manuals that all-to-often come mangled and/or spilt open with current boxes."

I don’t see how it’s necessary to add trays, and that would only add to the amount of waste being produced, thus negating what they’re trying to do. "

I thought the same thing with the old plastic trays but paper ones like they use for the Advent Calendars wouldn't be so bad. It could also help protect instructions which have a tendency to get bent a lot just crashing around inside the box.

I'm quite happy with this. the current bags are recyclable, but it will be better this way. I live in the North, so we will burn them for warmth and use the ashes for plant fertilizer.

But what if TLG made & shipped sets without instructions at all or bags at all? All instructions are online anyway. Just put the pieces in a box just big enough to ship them in.
I currently save the instructions and boxes, so there would be some loss for me as well, but this would be the best for the environment.
These bags, however, are the first step - and a good one - to save on (I know of no one who collects these - CMF & polybags are a different story of course).

Paper bags > plastic bags.
And for the curious: the data matrix code on the bags doesn‘t contain any „secret“ info such as a link to the inventory or similar.
The one on the bag 8 from the first image has this content: 6399486 331S1 11986286
So same as the two printed numbers (bag and set presumably) plus another eight digit number…

@PurpleDave said:
"I bet if you listen hard enough, someone is muttering under their breath that I left out the most important one."
I think you left out "people complaining about people complaining on Brickset." :)

The variety of reaction makes sense. Lego is making a move that is possibly environmentally counterproductive, but gets good publicity. That opens them up to criticism along the veins of "why aren't you solving a real problem?"

If plant-based bricks turn out to be an inferior product, this thread is going to look positively tame in comparison. I hope they're willing to accept no compromises on those.

@AllenSmith:
Nah, that’s usually coming from non-Germans.

The “plants made from plants” are polyethylene, which, aside from trace impurities, is chemically identical whether you source it from crude oil or crops. That one was literally low-hanging fruit. The only issue is what part of the plants they’re using. Polyethylene is made from ethyl alcohol, which has a very specific chemical formula. Any deviation, and it’s not ethyl alcohol, and can’t make PE. But you can derive ethyl alcohol from any part of the plant.

Ethyl alcohol is also called ethanol, which is what we commonly associate with the E-85 fuel you can get at gas stations. A gallon of ethanol costs more to produce than a gallon of gasoline, and yields less energy, so you’re paying more to get reduced gas mileage. But it sounds good in the face of dwindling crude oil reserves. Except we use _corn_ to brew ethanol for biofuel. Not corn stalks, but corn kernels. Corn stalks are typically destroyed after harvest, but diverting corn kernels to energy production impacts the price of corn-based foods. So rather than using waste biomass to make ethanol, we throw it away and use up food instead. The same issue is posed by “plants made from plants”, since they start out as ethanol too. What part of the plants are they made from?

Trying to save plastic from a company whose main product is plastic. Who is ready for paper bricks?

The core product of the company is plastic. Full stop. The marketing and the drive to sell more plastics greatly out weights the bags that are holding the bricks itself. The environmental impact of 'air' inside those boxes, and to transport those 'air' greatly out weights the bags that are holding the bricks itself. The intention of getting people to keep on buying large and display sets with less rebuilding factors greatly out weights the bags that are holding the bricks itself.

All the plastic small bags had long since had to be replaced with paper bags. Decades ago. If boxes made from paper, bags why not? I like the numbers on the side of the bags, and - as written above - there is a plus exciting factor if you does not see the blocks.
LEGO shall "compress" instructions as well, to spare paper. No need to waste a page to a step ;)

An another question is, how durable the Plant based plastic Lego building blocks will be. (Recycled bottles and other plastic should not be good enough?) I read earlier LEGO scientists work with many samples

@fakespacesquid said:
" @Patrik78 said:
" @monkyby87 said:
" @Patrik78 said:
"Great, now fix the quality of your products pretty please."

What are these quality issues you speak of specifically?"

Parts breaking, stickers everywhere instead of prints in very expensive sets, decay of some stickers mostly from non-transparent sheets (those thicker ones printed on the white background) even if not played with, inconsistent colors between sets, different shades of the same color in the same set even for the same part, Camper Van+Mechs+Xmas GWP quality issues lately etc."

They stopped the Mechs and GWP before they got released. Those don't count as quality issues. "

I fear it might have been too late because those products have probably been mass produced already. I hear products like these usually end up destroyed / in landfills, but hopefully Lego is more responsible than that and recycles.

To all the people saying that they can't see the parts inside the bags: you still have the building instructions where you can just jump to a particular bag.

I do wish they would do something about the paper instruction booklets. Some of them are as thick as literature. Do the Mario sets still have digital-only instructions?

@busyman:
Mario has digital instructions because video can more easily convey the gameplay mechanics than print. Dimensions also had digital instructions for a similar reason. Generally speaking, though, LEGO sets don’t rely on advanced technology that’s not universally available to the entire world. If you live somewhere that has no electricity or internet, you can still build a LEGO set.

In opening existing sets, since I usually buy for the parts even more than the set itself, I used to do a quick survey of the interesting parts when I opened the box, including a check for any obvious bodges. Now I'll have to wait till I open each bag. No big deal. I'm happy that the environmental credentials will be improved.

The most recent problem I had with a set was a missing bag from 10277 Crocodile Locomotive, where there were extras of a couple of other bags; those must have fooled the scales in the factory. If the paper bags have 7-digit numbers then this might make it easier to order them, except how would one know the number of the one to order if it were missing? Would the bag codes be in the instructions?

I was always puzzled by why a few bags, especially in Technic sets, were type-4 soft plastic where most were type-5. Most parts didn't need the soft plastic and appeared in the type-5 bags in at least one set over the years. It seemed to be tyres or hoses that were most often in a type-4 bag. Maybe the rubber or silicone was incompatible? This makes me wonder if any pieces would be incompatible with the paper bags, such as sticking to them under temperature change. This might limit the paper bags to below 100% usage.

@Mark_Bellis:
It should be obvious which group of bags came up short, because you won’t have all the parts you need for that section. From there, you can ask the AFOL community to identify the bag numbers for that section, or you can inform customer service which bags you _do_ have, and hope they have a list to work with.

As for the oddball bags, notice that parts in numbered bags are always grouped by size. You’ll get one bag full of tiny parts, which is often placed inside a larger bag. You’ll get medium-sized parts in another, and larger parts in a third. The stretchy bags are generally not numbered. They are usually a catch-all for really long or bulky parts used throughout the entire build. Some parts (like BURPs) are packed loose in the box because they’re large enough to not even be worth bagging.

Why's everyone so down on plastic?
Plastic is great! It's a universal good!

PLASTIC SAVES LIVES: From medical devices that keep blood flowing, joints moving and hearts beating to impact-resistant vehicle parts and safer infant car seats, plastic saves lives every day.
It’s durability, strength and mold-ability make plastic the material of choice for products designed to protect and improve human health.

FOOD PACKAGING: Foods stay fresh longer when packed in plastic, which reduces waste by reducing the amount of spoiled food that must be discarded and decreases the amount of preservatives needed to keep food fresh.
Plastic packaging protects food, medicine, and other products from contamination and germs when it is displayed and handled.

PLASTIC PROTECTS CONSUMERS: Tamper-proof packaging keeps consumers safe and child-proof packaging keeps children safe from accidental poisoning by medications or chemicals. Plastic insulation for cables and electrical equipment keeps equipment cool and protects users from over-heating. The liquid crystalline plastics in LCD flat screen tv's give beautiful pictures and SAVE ENERGY, using less power than traditional cathode ray tube screens.

PLASTIC FOR FULL EFFICIENCY: Because plastic is both lightweight and durable, it makes an ideal material for manufacturing cars, trucks, and other vehicles. Plastics make up 10% of new vehicle’s total weight, and over 50% of their volume. Steering wheels, door liners, and stereo components are made of plastic, as are less visible parts, such as engine components. Using more plastic to lighten the weight of cars and trucks will make them more FUEL-EFFICIENT.
For every 10% reduction in weight, a car or truck will save 5 - 7% in fuel usage. Reduction in vehicle weight translates into a REDUCTION in CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS: every pound of vehicle weight that can be eliminated means 25.3 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions are saved over the vehicle’s life.

LIFE SAVING: Life-saving seat belts and airbags are made of plastic. Plastic padded pumpers, door frames, foam door panel inserts, plastic foam filled roof supports, and pillars are structural components that keep occupants safer during a crash. Molded plastic fuel tanks are less likely to split apart during a collision and shatter-proof headlights are less likely to break. The windshield of most cars contains a layer of plastic between two sheets of glass, which makes the windshield less likely to break during a collision.

ENERGY EFFICIENT: Plastics can make your home more energy-efficient. Plastic sealants and caulks seal up window leaks and plastic foam weather stripping make doors and windows draft-free. Plastic blinds, window shades, and drapes help insulate windows by keeping out the sun in warm months to keep the house cooler and by keeping in heat during the winter months. Plastic awnings and reflective films also help shade the home.
Many high efficiency LED light bulbs are made from recycled plastic. Plastic insulation in the walls, floors, attic, and roof of your home keeps heat in during the winter and out during the summer, which SAVES YOU ENERGY and money on your heating and cooling.

SAVING MORE LIVES: Plastics increase the efficiency and hygiene of medicine from the surgery suite to the physician’s office. Plastic syringes and tubing are disposable to reduce disease transmission. Plastic intravenous blood, fluid, and medicine bags let health care workers more easily view dosages and replacement needs. Plastic heart valves and knee and hip joints save lives and make patients’ lives more comfortable. Plastic prosthesis help amputees regain function and improve their quality of life. Pill capsules made of plastic ensure correct dosage release in the body over time, which lets patients take fewer pills. Plastic catheters and balloons allow doctors to open blocked blood vessels and insert plastic vessel supports to keep them open and dissolve harmful deposits. In addition to plastic eyeglass lenses, contact lenses, and eyeglass frames, plastics help victims of eye injuries or diseas

How does 'saving more lives with plastic' applies to Lego bricks? I am keen to know :)

Nevertheless, just hoping.. to illustrate a little bit more:

Let's say if we look at the % of plastic in a set minus away the booklet and box (based only on my estimation, as an analogy to the point which I'd like to illustrate):

- With Plastic packaging brick bags: A set will likely contain 85% of plastic in total

- With Paper packaging brick bags: A set will likely contain 80% of plastic in total

No matter how nice the press release is written, it is still a plastic manufacturing company, and of course no doubt, I think it is a very good plastic manufacturing company. Not about saving lives with plastic but I do get a lot of fun through this plastic.

Since we're discussing about environmental impacts here, we should also know that the environmental impacts of such product is happening at multiple stages, mainly: 1) at the production stage, 2) at the disposal stage.

Thus in general if, the sales worldwide stays exactly the same (doesn't matter if it's Lego or any other company per say): When there is a change in the packaging i.e. reduction of plastic bag usage, I do agree it will have an overall positive environmental impact.

However if the goal is to increase the sales year by year, enticing people through excellent marketing while creating nice display sets but with seemingly less rebuilding factor + no chance to get away using plastic as the core material, what positive environmental impact can we see in this case? Think about all the bricks that are produced on a daily basis, they are not thrown away (yes and good), but they are made in such large quantity and will continue to fill up our planet.

I reduce my urge to purchase drinks from PET bottles, reduce my usage on anything to do with plastic (to a certain extend of course), and pay close attention when spending so as not to cause additional burden to the planet. Sadly the notion of 'buy buy buy', although nice (for both buyer and seller), it will certainly not help making our planet better for the next generation. Teach our kids about environmental conservation, through playing with plastic bricks..? This sounds a little overstretch isn't it?

@audiobean:
LEGO sets keep bored shut-ins from completely losing it during a pandemic? They’ve also been making face shields for frontline medical workers during this time.

Paper bags. STOP USING PAPER BAGS! KILLING OUR FORESTS!!!! Plastic bags. STOP USING PLASTIC BAGS! KILLING OUR OCEANS!!!! Paper bags. The circle is complete.

Cheese cloth, fish nets or stockings. STOP USING THEM!!!! WHAT WILL THE STRIPPERS USE?!?!?!?!

@Knighty:
Do strippers actually use cheesecloth?

Always happy to see LEGO be environmentally conscious, though I could see the bags themselves becoming a collector's item in years to come, especially if/when LEGO change the design on them or if they so themed bags for different lines.

@busyman said:
" @fakespacesquid said:
" @Patrik78 said:
" @monkyby87 said:
" @Patrik78 said:
"Great, now fix the quality of your products pretty please."

What are these quality issues you speak of specifically?"

Parts breaking, stickers everywhere instead of prints in very expensive sets, decay of some stickers mostly from non-transparent sheets (those thicker ones printed on the white background) even if not played with, inconsistent colors between sets, different shades of the same color in the same set even for the same part, Camper Van+Mechs+Xmas GWP quality issues lately etc."

They stopped the Mechs and GWP before they got released. Those don't count as quality issues. "

I fear it might have been too late because those products have probably been mass produced already. I hear products like these usually end up destroyed / in landfills, but hopefully Lego is more responsible than that and recycles."

Regardless of how far along in production they were, quality issues in a set that doesn't reach consumers are NOT the same as quality issues in a set that does reach consumers, and it's the definition of bad faith to include them in the same list. Might as well go through their first-draft models and accuse those of having quality issues.

And Lego has been recycling like that for a long time. Bags from canceled sets frequently end up in LUG/Event Support, or otherwise donated

My question is: Are more trees dying now because of this change in material?

@jteisberg:
That’s extremely hard to quantify, given how many ways trees can be put to use along the entire supply chain. The three most obvious issues are:

1. Are these recycled paper or first-time use pulp?
2. Does either supplier have new pallets built, or do they reuse existing pallets?
3. Were the plastic pellets delivered in cardboard or plastic gaylords?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulk_box

It’s possible that, even if the bags are made from new pulp, enough recycling of other materials has been introduced to the supply chain to offset the amount of trees that would need to be harvested annually.

Excellent move forward.

Crinkling poly bags have a psychological effect on consumer. We associate it with the product even if we don't know it. Shaking the box, pouring the contents, holding the bag and checking through pieces, these all account to the subconscious buying experience, especially for kids, and I think this will somehow affect the sales and LEGO will revert back to plastic bags.

This is great news. Well done Lego.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Knighty:
Do strippers actually use cheesecloth?"

Hey grocery girls need a side gig sometimes =)

finally ! It's always a bit of a shame to fill an entire office trash can with plastic bags when building a large set. I hope this change will take place soon.
For LEGO bricks, have there been any developments in this direction as well?

@kinetica46 said:
"Crinkling poly bags have a psychological effect on consumer. We associate it with the product even if we don't know it. Shaking the box, pouring the contents, holding the bag and checking through pieces, these all account to the subconscious buying experience, especially for kids, and I think this will somehow affect the sales and LEGO will revert back to plastic bags. "

I'm sure the old Lego boxes with transparent lids were good for sales, but we haven't seen those return. So I'm sure they'll stick to paper bags for a long time. The plastic bags, however convenient for dry storing and identifying the pieces, do have their drawbacks. Like they are rather noisy when I open them up late in the evening, and when storing them before building, they still take up more space than necessary due to the air inside. Maybe the paper bags will let the air out.
Curious to see what they will be like.

The Employee and Ambassador set this year had some paper bags, and I like them. I see no problem with them going forward and think it is a great move by the company.