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Does this article give you a couple of perspectives on whether LEGO should be finding an alternative? Have they tried anything before? Remember you are to consider the pros and cons, and the impact on their Triple Bottom Line of any Circular Business Models.

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Plastic pollution: Lego on track for sustainable bricks by 2032

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Despite scrapping plans to make Lego bricks from recycled plastic bottles, Lego say they’re still on track to make their bricks out of sustainable materials by 2032.

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Building inclusive play

To mark this year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the LEGO Group has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to support and celebrate fans and colleagues with disabilities, conditions and sensory needs that aren't immediately apparent.

The company is creating awareness through LEGO products, supported by employee training. The Sunflower has become a globally recognised symbol, allowing individuals to discreetly share that they have a non-visible condition that may require extra support, time, space, or understanding while going about their day-whether that be in travel, shopping, at work, or in public spaces.

First toys to feature official Sunflower Lanyard

The LEGO Group is proud to introduce the world's first toys to feature the official Sunflower lanyard, promoting awareness and inclusion across different age groups and themes. Developed with input from experts and individuals with lived experience, these three new sets are featured in this video and aim to offer authentic representation:

LEGO DUPLO® First Time at the Airport (10443) for ages 2+, helps toddlers navigate feelings about airports. It includes a child who is a Sunflower lanyard user, a teddy, suitcase, pilot figure, security desk, and a movable airplane Available: 1 June 2025 on LEGO.com, LEGO stores and retailers around the world).

LEGO® Friends Heartlake City Airport and Airplane (42656) for ages 8+, features Ryan, a university student wearing noise-reducing headphones and a Sunflower lanyard, along with eight other characters, a dog, passenger airplane, airport, taxi, and luggage cart. Available: 1 January 2025 on LEGO.com, LEGO stores and retailers around the world)/

LEGO® Icons Tudor Corner (10350) for ages 18+, is the latest in the modular building range and centres around the Old Guarded Inn. It includes a neurodivergent female character who uses a Sunflower lanyard. The 3,266-piece set also includes a haberdashery shop, watchmakers' studio and an apartment - where the character's lanyard is kept at the entrance, ready for her outings Available: Available for LEGO Insiders from 1st January 2025 at www.LEGO.com/TudorCorner and LEGO Stores, and available for all from 4th January 2025).

Fans will from also be able to customise minifigures using the Sunflower symbol at all 55 Minifigure Factorie s worldwide at LEGO House* and select LEGO stores, LEGO Certified Stores, LEGOLAND Discovery Centers, LEGOLAND Windsor and for US fans, also www.LEGO.com. This initiative aims to give fans additional opportunities to design the character they want to see themselves, a friend or family member represented as.

Paul White, CEO at Hidden Disabilities Sunflower comments on the work:

Across the globe, 1 in every 6 person lives with some form of disability and 80% of them have a disability that is non-visible. HD Sunflower is excited to partner with the LEGO Group on raising awareness and acceptance across their fan and colleague base and can't wait to see the impact that this will create."

This marks another milestone in the LEGO Group's ongoing journey towards building more inclusive play opportunities. Recent research** by the brand revealed that nearly 8 in 10 parents say children today care more about diversity and inclusion than their generation did, and wish they felt better equipped to talk about it through playful approaches. Children agree, saying they care about everyone being treated equally (88%) and want to play with toys that teach differences (83%).

Fan reflections

Jayden Sorhaindo 14 years old Sunflower user with Long QT Wave Syndrome, a life-threatening heart condition with no visible signs, said about the news:

I've loved LEGO play since I was a kid, so seeing LEGO characters wearing the Sunflower lanyard is huge. It's incredible to think that children can learn about the lanyard from such a young age. For those of us who experience challenges that aren't visible, this popular toy can bridge understanding and empathy. It's a reminder that it's okay to be different. I have a younger sister who is 4 and is autistic, she also wears the Sunflower lanyard when we go out so she will also identify with this, which makes this even more personal for me."

Tasha Sorhaindo, mum to Jayden and Sunflower user with Systemic Lupus and dilated cardiomyopathy also commented

I feel privileged to be a part of this huge and important project. LEGO toys are for all ages, and the idea of having characters wearing Sunflower lanyards is truly remarkable and genius. Not only does this raise awareness, but it has the potential to combat bullying by fostering understanding and acceptance among children. This initiative paves the way for conversations that can help encourage everyone to wear their lanyards with pride, just like the LEGO characters."

Martin Moxness, autistic adult Sunflower lanyard user and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Ambassador with ADHD and Tourette syndrome, says about the work:

Seeing the Sunflower lanyard in LEGO sets is a significant step in normalising hidden disabilities. As a child, this would have been life-changing and would have made me feel seen and accepted. Even as an adult, it's deeply meaningful to see such representation in an iconic product. This initiative is a milestone for the entire community and empowers individuals of all ages, inspiring creativity, fostering connection, and promoting inclusion."

Driving change internally at the LEGO Group

Starting today, LEGO employees in Denmark and the UK with non-visible disabilities, conditions and sensory needs can pick up a LEGO branded Sunflower lanyard free of charge, while bespoke training aimed at equipping people leaders to better support teams will also be rolled out. Additionally, training and online courses will be available to any employee interested in learning more about the Sunflower lanyard and how to show support. The LEGO Group plans to expand it to offices worldwide.

Speaking on this new partnership, Lauren von Stackelberg, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer VP at the LEGO Group said:

Workplace representation is critical to embed across your business as it reflects our consumers and communities, fosters belonging, and enables everyone to thrive. Our partnership with Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is a key step in supporting colleagues with non-apparent disabilities, conditions, and needs. By embedding diversity and inclusion in everything we do, we make LEGO play and experiences more accessible and positively impact the lives of our colleagues, consumers, and communities."

Sensory Inclusive Stores Extending on the news from April this year that LEGO House and all LEGO stores in the US and Canada had been Sensory Inclusive Certified by KultureCity, fans can look forward to the certification also coming to LEGO Stores across Europe by end of March 2025. KultureCity is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing accessibility in public spaces for individuals with sensory needs and non-visible disabilities. Their Certification includes staff training and Sensory Bags available at certified stores to checkout at no cost during visit. Sensory Bags at LEGO stores include noise-reducing headphones, 3x fidget tools, emotional cue cards, strobe reducing glasses and a KultureCity VIP lanyard to discretely signal to staff that you have a sensory need.

About Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

Since the Sunflower was established in the UK in 2016, it has been adopted globally by organisations to support their colleagues and customers. The Sunflower is recognised across a broad range of sectors - ranging from retail, financial services, transport including over 285 airports and 18 airlines, travel and tourism, education as well as healthcare, emergency service and entertainment. With a strong global presence, the Sunflower is a private multinational company headquartered in the UK that has operations in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Latin America, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Mauritius, the UAE, the UK and the USA.

About Kulture City

KultureCity®, established in 2014, is a dynamic non-profit organization at the forefront of the inclusivity movement which continues to make waves in creating a more accessible and accepting world for individuals with sensory needs and non-visible disabilities.

In a short 10 years, a few highlights of KultureCity's impact includes making over 1,800 venues sensory inclusive certified, handing out almost a million sensory bags to individuals, making over 150 live events sensory inclusive, and saving 48 lives through the KultureCity® First Responder Training. KultureCity's commitment to inclusivity extends beyond physical spaces. The organization actively collaborates with influential figures, businesses, and communities to promote awareness and understanding of non-visible disabilities.

About the LEGO Group

The LEGO Group's mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.

The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean "Play Well".

Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com
Notes
*LEGO House, Home of the Brick in Billund, Denmark, was the first experience centre in the Nordics to receive KultureCity certification and has been participating in the globally-recognised Sunflower lanyard programme since June 2021, as the first Danish attraction.

**LEGO® Play Well Study 2024: commissioned by the LEGO Group, carried out by Edelman DXI between 13.12.23 - 24.01.2024. Total sample size of 61,532 respondents, including 36,000 parents and 25,532 children aged 5-12 years old from 36 markets.

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The LEGO Group joins Hidden Disabilities Sunflower

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Building inclusive play To mark this year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the LEGO Group has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to support and celebrate fans and co

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Creativity/Change:

How likely can Lego's collaboration with X increase their profitability.

Ethics:

How likely will the Sunflower Lanyard program at Lego contribute to staff motivation?

Sustainability:

To what extent should Lego pursue alternative sustainable materials to replace ABS plastics in their products?

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Write down what you already know about LEGO.

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Focused on the psychological (emotional and mental) needs of workers as he believed that people are motivated by more than just money.​

He suggested that people would need to be satisfied with their lower-level needs before they could progress to higher level needs.​

Physiological:

Improved financial reward systems and working conditions can help people to meet these basic needs.​

Safety:

Assurance given to employees that they will keep their current job for the foreseeable future. ​

Factors affecting job security include a worker's performance, financial success of the business, employment legislation and the current economic climate. However, firms can address safety needs, to some extent, by using contracts of employment.​

Love and Belonging:

Creating opportunities for team working and having social facilities or functions. A mentoring or coaching system can also help to improve working relationships.​

Esteem:

Desire of people to feel respected, having value and having self-respect. ​

Intrinsically, self-esteem exists when people are able to feel good about themselves, as they feel valued by others. ​

Extrinsically, esteem needs can be met by genuine recognition, acknowledgement, trust and respect from others.​

Self actualisation:

Fulfilling your full potential.​

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Traditional:
Linear, focus on profit.

Focused on costs, revenues, and profits related to business activities, often with a short-term outlook.

Created a linear approach of products that are created, consumed, and  chucked away (disposed of) as waste.

Circular
Circular, focus on people.

Focus on the long-term environmental consequences and sustainability matters related to business activities.

CBMs are designed to turn all the waste that businesses and consumers produce into valuable and productive resources to be used again.

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https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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Analytical tool that helps managers to choose and devise various product and market growth strategies.​

It’s designed to effectively provide four strategic options and highlight the levels of risk associated to those for the business.​

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Our founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen made his first wooden toy in 1932. He persevered against the odds until his business was a success.

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LEGO Foundation

The LEGO Foundation is a corporate foundation that shares a mission with the LEGO Group: inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. The Foundation's work is about re-defining play and re-imagining learning. "Re-defining play" means changing the way that people understand the importance of play - especially the huge value it has in equipping children with essential skills for life in the 21st century. "Re-imagining learning" means helping parents and education systems use the transformative power of play to improve learning for millions of children.

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LEGO Foundation The LEGO Foundation is a corporate foundation that shares a mission with the LEGO Group: inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. The Foundation's work is about re-defining play and re-imagining learning. "Re-defining play" means changing the way that people understand the importance of play - especially the huge value it has in equipping children with essential skills for life in the 21st century.

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Sustainability:
Refers to the ability of an organization or an economy to continue its business activities indefinitely.

Planet:
Ecological sustainability (or environmental sustainability) refers to sustainable use of the planet’s natural resources so that the current level of consumption does not jeopardise the resources available for future generations. Without ecological sustainability, business activity will eventually deplete the planet’s natural resources.

People:
Social sustainability focuses on the extent to which an organization or economy can meet the needs of the current generation without jeopardising the needs of future generations.

Profit:
Economic sustainability is about using resources, both natural and manufactured, efficiently and responsibly. It is able encouraging businesses to focus their strategies on long-term rather than short-term profitability targets, and the long-term consequences of economic activities. This also has a direct impact on people’s jobs and careers in the future.

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Watch this video (20min) and in groups, answer the questions below that are allocated to your group.

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1. Explain the concept of "plannedobsolescence" and provide anexample of how it manifests inconsumer products.​

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2. ​Discuss the environmentalimplications of a linear materialseconomy compared to a circulareconomy.​

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3. What role do advertisements play in shaping consumer perceptions and behaviours regarding products?​​
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4. Describe how consumer culture can contribute to the crisis in the materials economy.​​
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5. What are externalities, and why are they significant in the context of the materials economy?​​
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6. How does the extraction process in the materials economy impact both the environment and local communities?​​

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7. In what ways do toxic chemicals in consumer products pose a risk to public health?​​
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8. What changes would you suggest to shift from a linear to a circular materials economy?​​

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9. How can individuals contribute to a more sustainable materials economy in their daily lives?​​
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10. Reflect on the relationship between material wealth and happiness. Do you believe that increasing material wealth leads to greater happiness? Why or why not?​

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Read, watch videos in links and answer the questions:​

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1. this article found in Sustainable Magazine about Lego:​

How does this fit with what they have claimed in the 2024 Sustainability Report?​

What do you think may be some of the criticisms of Lego’s initiative?​

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2. Does this article give you some perspective?​

Can Lego reach its target for carbon emissions? Why or why not?​

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3. Why does Lego allow for companies like Brickresale? ​

Which model does this company fall into and how does this fit with Lego’s circular business model?​

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Read article, and answer the following questions:​

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1. Analyse the Triple Bottom Line theory. How does this approach differ from traditional business practices? Discuss the implications of prioritizing People and Planet alongside Profit.​

2. Evaluate LEGO's commitment to sustainability. Considering the examples provided in the text, how has LEGO balanced its environmental initiatives with its profit goals? Provide specific examples to support your answer.​

3. Discuss the role of diversity and inclusion in LEGO's business strategy. Why is it important for LEGO to focus on these aspects, and how do they contribute to the overall success of the company?​

4. Reflect on the long-term impact of adopting sustainable practices. Based on LEGO's experience, what might be some challenges and benefits for other companies considering a similar approach? ​