The LEGO Group has announced new partnerships aimed at advancing its sustainability goals through innovative climate solutions. It is committing DKK 19 million (approximately USD $2.7 million) to support four carbon removal projects in collaboration with climate service providers Climate Impact Partners and ClimeFi.
These initiatives are set to deliver carbon removal credits between 2024 and 2026, reinforcing the company’s extensive commitment to tackling climate change.
In addition to LEGO’s investment, KIRKBI A/S, the Danish family’s investment arm which owns LEGO, has pledged an extra DKK 5 million towards the same projects, bringing the total financial commitment to DKK 24 million (around USD $3.3 million).
The selected projects encompass a variety of carbon removal technologies, including biochar, enhanced rock weathering, and large-scale reforestation. Biochar initiatives convert waste biomass into a stable form of carbon that can be stored long-term, while enhanced rock weathering accelerates the natural process of carbon capture by spreading rock powder over agricultural land, thereby improving soil health simultaneously.
LEGO Group’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Annette Stube, stated, “We are proud to support these climate initiatives which we believe will have a positive impact on the wider environmental ecosystem. Innovative, high-quality carbon removal projects and emerging technologies have the potential to play an important role in supporting a more sustainable future, while reforestation has the potential to support improved biodiversity.”
The reforestation effort is particularly noteworthy, targeting the restoration of over 400,000 hectares in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley through a project managed by GreenTrees. This initiative not only aims to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere but also seeks to enhance flood protection and improve water quality by reducing nutrient runoff into the Mississippi River. Sheri Hickok, CEO of Climate Impact Partners, remarked that this investment exemplifies how private sector engagements can lead to substantial ecological benefits.
Paolo Piffaretti, Co-Founder and CEO of ClimeFi, highlighted the importance of careful project selection, noting that the initiatives were chosen based on stringent quality standards and extensive technical reviews. He expressed enthusiasm regarding LEGO’s early adoption of these carbon removal solutions, emphasising that it would catalyse the growth of the carbon dioxide removal industry and facilitate progress toward shared climate objectives.
These announcements underscore the LEGO Group’s comprehensive climate strategy, which includes ambitions to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint across all scopes of emissions, particularly Scope 3 emissions that account for 98% of its overall impact. The company’s overarching environmental plans involve an investment of over USD $1.4 billion in sustainability initiatives over the next three years, reinforcing its position as a leader in corporate environmental responsibility within the toy industry.
