How will Lego and WWF's Partnership Drive Sustainable Play?

The LEGO Group has partnered with WWF Denmark to launch the Planet Promise Design Guidelines, a creative blueprint designed to embed sustainability into the heart of children's play. 

The initiative builds on a decade-long collaboration between the two organisations and forms a key part of LEGO’s broader Planet Promise, a commitment to leave a positive impact on society and the environment.

Empowering through play

According to LEGO’s research, 94% of parents believe play helps children learn about sustainability and an overwhelming 83% of children aged 5–12 say they care about protecting the environment. 

The Planet Promise Design Guidelines are designed to support this by helping LEGO designers create storylines, sets and packaging that make sustainability tangible and fun.

“We’ve been helping kids make sense of the world around them for generations, so this is a natural development,” says Louise Bontoft, the LEGO Group’s Head of Design.

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

"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.”

A toolkit for designers

The guidelines will initially apply to LEGO-owned themes and will support more than 600 LEGO designers who create hundreds of new sets each year. 

They are structured around two key resources:

• Planet promise design principles: Educational tools that offer insight into sustainable practices in relation to nature, communities, energy and resources.
  
• Planet promise design guides: Practical instructions and inspiration tailored to the types of experiences LEGO designers are building.

To shape the guidelines, LEGO collaborated with WWF Denmark and sustainability experts from the US, UK, China and Germany. 

“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,” says Jacob Fjalland, Interdisciplinary Director at WWF Denmark.

Nearly 200 existing LEGO products were reviewed during the development phase.

“We began by looking at nearly 200 existing LEGO products with WWF Denmark and their international experts,” explains Louise.

“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.”

A nature positive world

WWF Denmark has played a central role in this process, building on an existing partnership with the LEGO Group dating back to 2014. 

“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.

A future built on imagination

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

The launch of the Planet Promise Design Guidelines is another milestone in LEGO’s wider sustainability journey. 

From reducing carbon emissions to developing bricks from renewable and recycled materials, more than 600 material types have been tested to date, the company continues to explore multiple paths towards environmental responsibility.