An elusive wingless green dragon has washed up on the beaches of Cornwall. No, it's not another of the Loch Ness Monster versions that visit us every summer, but some of the small Lego pieces that ended up in the ocean in 1997, when a ship from Japan lost several containers during a storm. Black or green, these lost dragons are still washing up on British beaches, as it is estimated that they can survive in the ocean for up to 1,300 years.

Lego was founded by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark, who started making toys in 1932. The iconic brick we all know today was not launched on the market until 1958, when plastic technology was in full expansion. Its principle of interconnection offered unlimited construction possibilities, so it soon became a complete system to boost creativity at any age. In 1959, Lego created the Futura division, a small team responsible for generating ideas for new sets. Since then, innovation, creativity and design have been the lifeblood of the company. "It's just a matter of letting your imagination run wild and letting a wealth of creative ideas emerge," they maintain at Lego.

issue The Danish company has used design to promote innovation, adapt to different contexts or achieve excellence on a very significant number of occasions. Social responsibility has been one of the vectors that has contributed the most to driving this dynamic. In 2023 and after four years of research, Lego began marketing blocks specially designed to help blind and visually impaired children and adults learn Braille. Each of the 287 blocks in this new set is molded with reliefs representing a different letter or issue of the Braille alphabet and, importantly, they remain fully compatible with the original products. A great way for visually impaired people to get inspired and make their creations a reality.

However, it has been the incorporation of sustainability as a core component of Lego's value proposal that has reaped the biggest rewards. You may have noticed slight variations in tone between Lego bricks of the same color. This is due to the incorporation of a small amount of recycled bricks of other colors in each new batch manufactured. A small variation that provides tangible evidence of the company's environmental commitment. However, Lego's ambition to create ever more sustainable products has not stopped there.

To date, they have tested more than 600 different materials for their construction parts. Some have already been successful, such as the bioplastic they use to make botanical elements and minifigure accessories. Others have shown potential, but have not met their strict requirements standards for quality, safety and durability. In September last year, Lego abandoned plans to make bricks from recycled bottles after discovering that the new material generated higher carbon emissions. It was a blow to the company's environmental plans, but it remains steadfast in its commitment to the planet.

Lego has incorporated design as a strategic vector from the earliest stages of development of products and services. Inspired by the high durability of the pieces ordered at sea, they have launched Replay, a program in which people donate their bricks, which are sorted and cleaned before going to charities. At the end of the day, Lego bricks are so attractive, safe and durable that users never want to get rid of them, but rather pass them on to future generations. And reusing is always more responsible and efficient than recycling.

As many designers explain, "creating objects that are rich in meaning, that you fall in love with forever, is a way of sustainability".