Wed 17 May 2023 | by Rob Hutchins

Circle Toys partners with the LEGO brick refurb platform Rebricks

Switzerland’s circular economy for toys and games has just received an injection of adrenaline thanks to a new partnership between local toy collection, refurbishment, and resale platforms Circle Toys and Rebricks. A start-up enterprise developed to pilot a circular business model for old toys across Zurich, Circle Toys recently spoke with Products of Change about its plans to scale-up operations to take its concept across Switzerland, Europe, and even eventually into the UK. Earlier this week, the team took one step closer to realising that ambition when it received a double award at the Lausanne and Zurich Circular Economy Transition & Impact Hub’s Demo Day, securing first place in the Public Voting category and a special award from the Swiss crowdfunding platform wemakeit.com. Following this, Circle Toys has now announced a new partnership with the local not-for-profit, Rebricks, a team that specialises in refurbishing old LEGO sets. “As a company that’s passionate about sustainability and reducing waste, we couldn’t be happier to team up with Rebricks to bring new life to old toys,” said the Circle Toys team via social media. “We believe that every toy deserves a second chance, and with Rebricks’ expertise in refurbishing old LEGO sets, we can now offer our customers a wider selection of sustainable and eco-friendly toys.” Backed by the Swiss supermarket, Migros, Rebricks acts to give pre-loved and end-of-life LEGO blocks a second life by collecting, refurbishing, and redistributing bricks and sets in Rebricks play boxes through the Migros sales channels. Bricks are cleaned and refurbished by teams at the RgZ Foundation, a local charity that supports people with mental or physical disabilities by offering them fulfilling and meaningful work. In its support of Rebricks, Migros aims to promote the sustainable use of resources and showcase the role toys can play in delivering a sustainable and social commitment that benefits society and the environment. Each Rebricks game box contains one kilo of used, cleaned building blocks from LEGO or a compatible branded product. The proceeds from each Rebricks Game Box sale goes towards covering the costs of collecting, cleaning, and processing the included bricks.