LEGO & WWF: The Secret to Greener Brick Supply Chains

LEGO is putting sustainability at the centre of its supply chain and storytelling with the help of WWF Denmark.

Together, they’ve developed the 'Planet Promise Design Guidelines,' a framework that helps LEGO’s 600-plus designers bring climate and nature themes into everything from packaging to playsets.

The partnership deepens a relationship that began in 2014 and feeds into LEGO’s larger commitment: to use 100% sustainable materials in all bricks by 2032.

Annette Stube, Chief Sustainability Officer at the LEGO Group, explains: “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.”

Embedding sustainability from concept to shelf

LEGO's supply chain begins on drawing boards and design screens. The Planet Promise Design Guidelines are aimed at the earliest stage in this process.

They offer two key tools: design principles, which provide educational insight into environmental themes like nature, energy and communities; and design guides, which offer practical creative advice. Both are tailored to the products LEGO creates in-house and will be used by the company’s designers worldwide.

The guidelines were built using insights from sustainability experts across four countries—the US, UK, China and Germany.

To make them meaningful and actionable, LEGO and WWF reviewed nearly 200 products already on the market. These were assessed for their environmental storytelling and design choices. That audit revealed a lot of positives, but also room for improvement.

Louise Bontoft, Head of Design at the LEGO Group, explains: “We began by looking at nearly 200 existing LEGO products with WWF Denmark and their international experts.

"Their overall assessment of our current portfolio was positive, and the team's expertise and feedback were then instrumental in helping us define where we could improve and ensure the guidance we gave designers is robust, accessible and globally relevant.”

That direct feedback now shapes new product development, giving LEGO designers tools to embed sustainability deep into their work. These tools also influence packaging, instructions and character development—key elements in LEGO’s global supply and storytelling pipeline.

Helping kids build a nature-positive mindset

LEGO isn’t only targeting its internal processes. It also wants to affect how children play and think.

Company research shows that 83% of children between the ages of five and 12 care about protecting the environment. Around 94% of parents also say play helps children understand sustainability.

So, these guidelines aren't just for professionals—they’re intended to help bring environmental issues into playrooms and classrooms in a way that’s age-appropriate and engaging. It’s a strategic supply chain decision too, helping align production, education and messaging under one set of values.

"Play is an incredibly powerful tool for engaging children and we know children are deeply aware of the environmental challenges we face," says Louise.

"That's why you’ve seen elements like recycling trucks, wind turbines and EV charging points featured in our products for many years, going back to at least 1987."

WWF Denmark sees the potential for long-term change.

Jacob Fjalland, Interdisciplinary Director at WWF Denmark, says: “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... helping to shape a generation of optimistic and proactive young individuals.”

Supply chains with climate at the core

From sourcing materials to shaping narratives, LEGO’s entire production cycle is under review.

Since 2014, the company has tested more than 600 material types to find sustainable alternatives for its bricks. The guidelines are a natural extension of that work, and part of a larger move to connect environmental education with operational change.

"WWF works towards a nature positive world and in relation to kids, this means encouraging play and stories that show restoring forests, protecting animals and cleaning up oceans, as well as teaching kids that they can be heroes for the planet and make choices that help nature grow,” says Tobias Emme Høgsberg, WWF Denmark’s Director of Engagement.

The company’s broader Planet Promise feeds directly into this initiative and designers are now asked to incorporate environmental themes into the sets they create and the packaging those sets arrive in.

By shaping what children build today, LEGO hopes to shape the planet they inherit tomorrow.