The LEGO Group says it’s aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in an effort to ‘take meaningful and lasting actions’ to protect kids’ futures.
This latest target is an extension of its 2019 pledge to reduce its emissions by 37% by 2032, as approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (or SBTi, a partnership of multiple environmental organisations including the UN Global Compact and World Wide Fund for Nature). The LEGO Group is developing targets with the SBTi to reduce direct emissions from LEGO factories, stores, offices and vehicles; indirect emissions from energy purchased to power those sources; and emissions from the company’s supply chain.
“Our immediate priority is to meet our 2032 carbon reduction targets and we’re making progress across a range of initiatives,” said LEGO Group CEO Niels B. Christiansen. “This new, long-term goal will ensure that the decisions we make today will reduce our carbon footprint over the coming decades. It will also encourage future generations of LEGO employees, partners and suppliers to continue working with a sense of urgency to reduce the environmental impact of our business.
“We know that children are looking to us to do what’s right. Caring for the environment is one of their top concerns and we receive hundreds of letters a year with great ideas from kids on how we can make a difference. They are holding us to account, and we must set ambitious goals and take meaningful and lasting actions to protect their futures.”
The LEGO Group says it will finalise its net-zero target over the next two years in conjunction with the SBTi, during which time it will also produce a roadmap demonstrating how it will achieve its ambitions. It will begin by tripling its investment in environmental sustainability across the next three years, spending more than £1.1bn on carbon-neutral factories and production of renewable energy at its offices, stores and factories.
The company is also introducing a ‘carbon KPI’ (key performance indicator), which will incentivise its executives to reduce emissions through remuneration, and has promised to adopt ‘responsible travel policies’ to reduce international air travel of its employees. The majority of its attention will seemingly be focused on external emissions, however, as it says a whopping 98% of its greenhouse gas emissions come from its supply chain.
Beyond its targets outlined with the SBTi, the LEGO Group says it will also continue to invest in wider initiatives including alternative materials for its bricks – reducing the reliance on fossil fuels – and carbon capture programmes. “Our first priority is to measurably reduce our carbon emissions, but the challenge is vast, and we are taking steps across all areas of our business to reduce our environmental impact,” Christiansen added.
The 2050 target is in line with Denmark's legally-binding net-zero emissions targets, though the country's recently-formed government has proposed ambitious plans to reach net-zero by 2045 – five years ahead of schedule. Similar targets exist in other countries, such as the UK, which is legally required to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 100% compared to 1990 levels by 2050.
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