The new LEGO SMART Play platform that debuted at CES 2026 is an exciting evolution for a brand known for inspiring creativity and hands-on play. At its core is the SMART Brick, a LEGO piece with built-in sensors, a tiny speaker, and other electronics that let your builds respond to motion and interaction in real time. It feels like LEGO is bringing models to life in a way we have never seen before.

But there’s a real conversation we need to have about sustainability. LEGO has made clear commitments to reduce its environmental impact, from switching to more sustainable materials to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and improving circularity in its business. Those are serious goals that resonate with parents and kids who care about the planet.

Smart technology like this complicates things because electronics are harder to recycle than traditional bricks. That raises questions about durability and the long-term footprint of these smart pieces. Will new components still be usable ten or twenty years from now? Will they fit the durability story that LEGO has always stood for?

It’s worth cheering the innovation, but we should also keep an eye on how LEGO balances play-forward design with responsibility to the environment. Smart Play could be wonderful fun, but it also needs to fit into LEGO’s broader sustainability journey.