‘Children Are Looking to Us to Do What’s Right’: Lego Pledges to Achieve Net Zero by 2050

Toy giant says new long-term target will build on commitment to slash emissions by 37 per cent by 2032

Lego Group has become the latest global brand to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, confirming it has submitted new long-term emissions goals to the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi).

The company announced yesterday that it will now work with the SBTi to develop targets to cover its Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

The new target will build on Lego’s existing target to cut emissions by 37 per cent by 2032 against a 2019 baseline, which was previously approved by the SBTi.

Niels B Christiansen, CEO at the LEGO Group, said the addition of a long-term target would help shape the company’s investment decisions and drive the innovations that can enable deep decarbonisation.

“Our immediate priority is to meet our 2032 carbon reduction targets and we’re making progress across a range of initiatives,” he said. “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.”

He added that the new target was also a direct response to the company’s customers. “We know that children are looking to us to do what’s right,” he said. “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 company said it would now work with the SBTi over the next two years to develop a net zero target, while also developing a detailed climate transition plan setting out how the goal can be achieved.

The new commitment is backed by plans to triple investment in environmental sustainability over the next three years, taking spending to more than $1.4bn.

Current initiatives include projects to build two factories Gold LEED certification which are designed to be ‘carbon neutral’ once operating, increase renewable energy capacity at Lego sites, introduce shadow carbon pricing to key investment decisions, and tie executive remuneration to delivering against emissions goals.

The company said it was also committed to working with suppliers through its ‘Engage-to-Reduce’ programme, noting that 98 per cent of its carbon emissions come from outside its operations.

And it confirmed that it would explore “compensation actions”, such as supporting carbon capture programmes and scaling up a mass balance approach to reduce reliance on fossil fuels as a raw material.

Christiansen said: “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.”

The news came on the same day as Lego confirmed a strong financial performance for the first half of the year, reporting that consumer sales rose three per cent year on year with revenues climbing one per cent to DKK27.4bn, despite a slowdown in the wider toy market.

“Our strong financial position allows us to invest for the long term, particularly in areas such as digital, sustainability and manufacturing,” said Christiansen.

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