Lego is looking at whether it could offer a rental service to fans of its brightly coloured plastic building bricks, in a sign of how traditional business models are evolving as consumers press for more environmentally friendly products. Tim Brooks, vice-president responsible for sustainability, said the world’s biggest toymaker was “totally open” to the idea of a product rental scheme. It is possible, [but] there are some technical barriers.”These include the complexity of Lego kits, some of which contain thousands of pieces. Ingersoll Rand’s Trane division, a global leader in climate control systems, launched a rental service about five years ago. David Rakowski, managing consultant at PA Consulting, said rental models were pushing manufacturers to rethink the design of their products, further reducing waste.

Source: The Irish Times October 14, 2019 07:30 UTC