LEGO Group 2018 Responsibility Report

At first glance, Lego appears to be a wasteful product and company.  They have built (no pun intended) an empire out of cheap molded plastic.  When you take a closer look, as I did when Handsome Husband emailed me the 2018 Responsibility Report, you see that Lego cares about the environment quite a bit.

Lego cares about clean energy.  They use solar power as well as wind power.  The Lego campus in Denmark is home to 4,150 solar panels and is one of Denmark's largest rooftop solar energy systems.  They also have giant wind farms in both Germany and the UK.  Lego maintained its goal of 100 percent renewable energy achievement.  This means that their total output from investments in renewable energy was more than the energy used at Lego factories, offices, and stores.

2018 was a big change in plastic for Lego.  They introduced plant elements that are made from plant-based plastic.  They are using green polyethylene to make lego leaves, bushes, trees, and more than 80 other plant elements.  Green polyethylene is made from sugarcane that is sustainably sourced in Brazil.  It is still plastic but it is a small step in the right direction.

Lego cares.  Last year Lego Foundation donated 100 million dollars to the Sesame Workshop.  The Sesame Workshop supports children worldwide affected by conflict and crisis. 

Lego Group isn't stopping there, they have bigger goals to continue to improve what they can do for the environment.  In 2018 Lego introduced How2Recycle labels on their packaging to help consumers know how to recycle the waste properly.  Also, they used 100 percent FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved cardboard and 75 percent of that cardboard and paper came from recycled materials.  They are working on eliminating single-use plastic in their packaging with a goal of complete elimination by the year 2025.  They aim to send zero waste to the landfill, also by the year 2025.  They have a goal to use sustainable materials and resources in all products by 2030.

Want to read the LEGO Group 2018 Responsibility Report for yourself?  Click here.