The multicolored Lego blocks that built your childhood are getting more sustainable. Lego Group recently announced a new Supplier Sustainability Program, pushing its suppliers to help meet certain environmental targets in the coming years.
As detailed by Environment+Energy Leader, the Danish company hopes to cut 37% of its planet-warming pollution by 2032 and achieve "net zero" by 2050. In achieving net zero, the company would eliminate the same amount of pollution from the air as it contributes.
Currently, 99% of the company's total carbon pollution comes from outside the Lego Group's operations, according to the company. Much of it comes from the brand's suppliers, which "provide and deliver raw materials, machines, products, and services related to Lego products."
"A net-zero world is simply not possible unless we find solutions that are greater than our own operations," Annette Stube, chief sustainability officer at Lego Group, said in a statement. "We will not be able to meet our sustainability targets alone — we have to work in partnership with our suppliers. We want children to inherit a healthy planet, and there's no time to waste."
Through the Supplier Sustainability Program, Lego Group will require its suppliers to provide data on their carbon pollution. The program also requires suppliers to set near-term pollution-reduction targets for 2026 and 2028.
Lego Group also plans to partner with suppliers to help them identify and implement climate-minded changes, including improving facility efficiency, transitioning to renewable energy, and adopting less environmentally taxing transportation methods.
Starting this year, suppliers will submit annual reports to Lego Group detailing their progress.
"The Supplier Sustainability Program is founded on collaboration and we cannot underestimate the power of working together to create real, lasting change and a more sustainable future," Carsten Rasmussen, chief operations officer at the Lego Group, said in a statement.
This new effort is just one part of Lego Group's climate action plan. The company has been working to drastically reduce planet-warming pollution in its operations in recent years. In 2021, Lego invested $1.4 billion in sustainability initiatives, including plans to shift to more eco-friendly materials. Historically, Lego's iconic bricks were made of environmentally taxing plastics.
Earlier this year, Lego announced it was using recycled plastic to create its bricks, even though the price of such material cut into the company's profit margins. This came after the company scrapped its plans to make Lego bricks from recycled plastic bottles. After testing, the company found the material would produce more carbon pollution rather than reduce it.
Lego is also exploring plastic-like materials made from alternative components such as e-methanol, composed of waste carbon dioxide and green hydrogen. Some current Lego products are made from bio-polypropylene, which is manufactured from corn, vegetable oils, and sugar cane.
The shift in materials is essential for both the climate and public health. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that more than 440 million tons of plastic is produced globally each year, much of which ends up in landfills, oceans, and other natural spaces.
Plastic — especially after it has been discarded and breaks down into microplastics — has been connected to a host of health problems, including cancer, hormone dysfunction, and respiratory issues.
"We know a more sustainable future is possible," a sustainability statement on the Lego site reads. "We believe in human potential. And we're ready to take on the challenges of sustainability with creativity and optimism."
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