LEGO Builds a Sustainable Future Assignment Sample

1) LEGO Sustainability

LEGO is a well-renowned toy company since 1949 interlocking bricks for children. LEGO was initially prepared from Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) manufactured from petroleum. The world awakening for climate change made LEGO take a step towards sustainability and reduce its carbon footprint in the environment. The company wanted to build LEGO with the same physical properties as it used to but with a bio-plastic material which does not degrade the environment. It was the biggest challenge for the company to find such material. The company through intense research to create sustainable products finally found a polyethene which can be produced from sustainably sourced sugarcane. LEGO is doing its part to build a sustainable future for children. The company is committed to protecting the planet from harmful emissions. It must not only create a better and brighter world for children but also create a positive impact on the environment (Lussier 2016).

The company is trying to convert all its products into sustainable ones by 2030. It is investing in renewable sources of energy to tackle climate change. It has also changed the lighting of the factor by installing LED build which will help the company to reduce 1300 tonnes of carbon-di-oxide from the environment. The company has also installed a roof based renewable energy system which includes 3500 solar panels. It is also focusing on eliminating waste. The company has also created a zero waste on landfill target for 2025. It is planning to achieve this target by reducing waste and recycling its products(Mathias et al. 2017). Apart from these, it is also trying to reduce the waste that is generated in offices and stores. The company has replaced its coffee cup by LEGO cup. It is doing its part to become sustainable LEGO developing top company in the world.

2) Challenges Faced by LEGO to Achieve Sustainability Plans

Planning for sustainability is easy but maintaining it is difficult and developing sustainable products in the company seemed just like a dream at early stages. The main technical challenge for the company was to develop bricks with the same physical property as it used to be. The company cannot compromise with its friction, stiffness and shine as manufactured from petroleum. Besides, the company was looking for a bio-plastic material which has a clutch power and flexibility that enable the bricks to put together and to keep them away as per the child’s desire. The company also wanted the brick produced from new material to continue to achieve its safety standards (Poon 2018). It wanted the bricks to get produced from a sustainable source. The company knew that the target to convert its ABS bricks into sustainable ones by 2030 is big therefore the manager divided the goal into four steps. The very first step of the company was to convert its packing into biopolymers. It was the easiest of all the steps because a lot of ecofriendly cardboard were available in the market. The next step was to think like a biologist to find an alternative for ABS. The third step was to brew the plastic and use technology to manufacture the material. The last and fourth step was to ditch the mould for the bricks and start an initiative to borrow the techniques from nature.

3) Will LEGO Capitalize on Its Efforts to Reduce Its Supply Chain Footprint?

According to me, yes the company would reduce its supply footprint. The initiates taken by the company to convert itself into a sustainable development company are enough to prove that the company understand its corporate social responsibility and is putting all the efforts to achieve them. Be it investing in renewable sources of energy or elimination of the waste from the factories, it is trying its best to become sustainable (Titas 2018). LEGO understand the changing consumer behaviour of the millennials how they are looking for sustainable products this is why the company to maintain its consumer trust has substituted ABS from polyethene manufactured from sugarcane. The new bricks manufactured by the company are in the shape of the plant. The company manufactured its first sustainable brick on 1st August 2018 and since then it is converting most of its products into sustainable ones.

References for LEGO Builds a Sustainable Future

Lussier, R.N. 2016. Lego learns to make sustainable environmental decisions. SAGE Publications, Inc..

Mathias, D., Boa, D., Hicks, B., Snider, C., Bennett, P. and Taylor, C. 2017. Design variation through richness of rules embedded in LEGO bricks. In DS 87-8 Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering Design (ICED 17) Vol 8: Human Behaviour in Design, Vancouver, Canada, 21-25.08. 2017 (pp. 099-108).

Poon, S.T. 2018. LEGO as a Learning Enabler. Journal of Urban Culture Research, p.72.

Titas, P. 2018. Ideology of sustainability in Lego’s corporate social responsibility: A Critical Discourse Analysis.

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