LEGO SMART Play: Building Environmental Responsibility

The LEGO Group has unveiled LEGO SMART Play at CES 2026, one of the company's most ambitious technological ventures to date.

As the toy manufacturer integrates advanced electronics into its iconic brick system, questions around environmental impact and long-term sustainability have emerged alongside the excitement.

LEGO Chief Product and Marketing Officer Julia Goldin and Senior Vice President and Head of Creative Play Lab Tom Donaldson announced the platform in Las Vegas, describing SMART Play as one of the company's most significant innovations since the LEGO Minifigure arrived in 1978.

"For more than 90 years, the LEGO Group has sparked imagination and creativity in children around the globe," Julia says.

"As the world evolves, so do we – innovating to meet the play needs of each new generation."

Environmental challenges of embedded technology

At the heart of LEGO SMART Play sits the LEGO SMART Brick, which features world-first technology supported by a custom chip smaller than a single LEGO stud.

These bricks integrate sensors, accelerometers, light sensing, sound detection, a miniature speaker, a synthesiser and wireless charging capabilities.

While the technical achievement is notable, sustainability concerns have surfaced as the platform introduces materials more difficult to recycle than standard ABS plastic.

Embedding sensors and speakers into bricks could complicate LEGO's existing environmental commitments, particularly its goal to transition towards sustainable materials.

Unlike conventional LEGO bricks, which can last for decades and remain fully functional, SMART components may eventually require software updates or replacement parts to maintain compatibility.

Complemented by LEGO SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures, these components allow creations to respond to movements and gestures with appropriate sounds and behaviours.

Tom says: "The launch of LEGO SMART Play brings creativity, technology and storytelling together to make building worlds and stories even more engaging, and all without a screen."

Star Wars partnership and market concerns

Launching the platform, LEGO has partnered once more with Lucasfilm and Disney.

Asad Ayaz, Chief Brand Officer of The Walt Disney Company, and Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, appeared alongside LEGO executives at CES to unveil the first SMART Play-enabled universe: LEGO Star Wars.

"This milestone in our long-time collaboration with the LEGO Group adds a new dimension to this legacy, continuing to help fans express their creativity and imagination," says Paul Gitter, Executive Vice President of Global Brand Commercialisation at Disney Consumer Products.

Analysts have pointed out that incorporating microchips and charging systems could raise questions around durability, repairability and component cost, especially for families used to the near-indestructible nature of conventional LEGO bricks.

Balancing play innovation with planetary responsibility

The SMART Brick's custom low-energy microchips work with an integrated array of sensors, meaning the bricks can recognise motion, orientation and interaction, allowing creations to respond in real time.

Connected SMART Tags and SMART Minifigures communicate via a secure, low-latency wireless system, creating seamless play without Bluetooth pairing or screens.

Charging is handled through wireless inductive pads, with firmware updates delivered over the air to keep play evolving.

Backward compatibility ensures any builder can add interactivity to existing models, marking SMART Play not as a new line, but as a living technological layer.

LEGO, which has made strong public commitments to environmental responsibility, is expected to address sustainability questions as SMART Play scales over the coming years.

For now, though, SMART Play marks a forward step into tactile, tech-augmented creativity for LEGO.

"It's the perfect playground for epic storytelling, unforgettable characters and endless brick-built adventures," Julia says.