LEGO teams up with WWF to create sustainable stories for future sets
The LEGO Group and WWF Denmark have collaborated to create new guidelines for socially and environmentally responsible LEGO sets and experiences.
The two organisations have pooled their resources to create the Planet Promise Design Guidelines, a set of resources designed to support the development of new storylines that feature socially and environmentally responsible practices in play experiences. These are expected to inform the creation of new LEGO sets, stories, and experiences, with insight into both products and packaging.
The guidelines aim to encourage designers to reflect the importance of environmental activities like protecting nature, increasing the use of renewable energy and resources, and creating a more sustainable world in their work. To start off, the Planet Promise Design Guidelines will initially be applied as appropriate to LEGO-owned themes, like City, Friends, and so on.
Reading between the lines, this seems unlikely to spark whole new ideas for LEGO sets centred around social and environmental sustainability, but rather ensure that planned LEGO sets align with the LEGO Group’s values as a company. This comes after the LEGO Group was accused of downplaying diversity in its most recent annual report.
The launch of the guidelines follows recent research that shows 83% of children aged between five and 12 say they care about protecting the environment, while more than nine in 10 parents believe play is a tool for children to explore and learn about sustainability.
“We know LEGO play is a powerful and engaging tool for children to make sense of the world around them, and we have included environmentally and socially responsible storylines in our products for many years,” said Annette Stube, Chief Sustainability Officer at the LEGO Group. “The new guidelines will allow us to continue helping children imagine what the world could look like through our products, inspiring them to think creatively about the world they will inherit.”
The LEGO Group currently has over 600 designers working on products, with a portfolio of 840 sets – almost half of which were new – in 2024. The guidelines, developed in close partnership with WWF Denmark with assistance from WWF experts from the USA, China, Germany and the UK, aim to ensure that the LEGO Group’s sustainable values translate into the company’s products, stories, and experiences.
“We are delighted to partner with the LEGO Group on this new set of guidance to inspire and engage children around the world and make room for curiosity on nature and climate matters and how to take good care of our planet,” said Jacob Fjalland, Interdisciplinary Director at WWF Denmark. “We know firsthand how important education on nature and climate matters is, and as the world’s largest environmental organisation WWF aims to inspire hope and motivation in children and young people helping to shape a generation of optimistic and proactive young individuals.”
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