To inspire and help develop the potential of children is of utmost importance to building a more sustainable future. This is my fundamental belief. I work at the LEGO Group where I lead our corporate responsibility agenda. Our mission, “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow” reflects our view that children are the architects of our world’s future. To us, any meaningful discussion of a sustainable world has to begin with children. So, how do we as businesses ensure we are building our operations and creating products that respect and support the development of children?
Our main contribution to society and children is a simple brick that, when used together with others, is a stimulating toy that instantly allows children to have fun, be creative and learn important skills. We call it playful learning. Every year, our play materials (both physical and virtual) reach millions of children worldwide. An impact on children this substantial comes with great responsibilities. The LEGO Group has been making children’s toys since 1932, and it is within our company DNA to act responsibly towards children. Over the past years, we have been working to further optimise our efforts to leave a positive impact on children. We have made good progress, but we acknowledge challenges that still lie ahead of us.
Businesses are expected to demonstrate their responsibility towards society, including towards children. At the LEGO Group, we are inspired by and committed to the Children’s Rights and Business Principles, developed through a process led by the United Nations Global Compact, UNICEF and Save the Children. These Principles, released in 2012, are instrumental to us as they outline what it takes to operate in a way that respects and supports children.
The way we run our factories has an impact on children. This impact goes beyond ensuring LEGO products are safe in the hands of children; it includes how our practices affect the environment that children live in, whether children’s parents receive decent salaries and return home safe from work. Like all other businesses, we must demonstrate responsibility. But, to be frank, our core expertise is not how to effectively address complex issues such as data privacy online, harassment among children on social media, or even societal taboos like paedophilia. Nonetheless, we are committed to doing so.
To be better equipped in combating these topics in a proactive manner, the LEGO Group signed a three-year partnership with UNICEF in 2014. The partnership commits us to promote and continue to implement the Children’s Rights and Business Principles with the aspiration of driving awareness in the business community of how corporations can generate positive change for children. We believe that by increasing awareness of these principles, sharing our best practices and collaborating across industries and regions, we can contribute to building a better tomorrow for children.
Together, UNICEF and the LEGO Group’s top management and employees here address challenges related to children.
How do we ensure people are aware of our commitment to children?
To address this, we created our Responsibility and Human Rights Policy that states our explicit promise to respect children’s rights (Principle 1).
How do we ensure children are treated respectfully, that all LEGO facilities and activities are safe for children, and that all employees engage with children in positive interactions that promote their development?
This year, we created a global mapping of where and how our business engages with children, to enable us to set up a more systematic child protection risk management system - driven by a new child protection policy, and improved guidelines and training (Principle 4).
How do we best design and manufacture products safe for children to play with and of the highest quality?
When we design and test our products, we do so against the world’s strictest standards. We engage with children so we can develop the quality of our toys and confirm they are fun. At the same time we’re helping children foster crucial skills like the ability to collaborate and reason systematically (Principle 5).
To ensure children have fun on our digital platforms safely, we have developed mature compliance systems on digital child safety and responsible marketing to children (Principles 5 and 6). UNICEF assesses the systems and we share them publicly.
How do we generate global awareness of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles and recognise how we as businesses can support the rights of children?
It can be as simple as talking together and sharing knowledge. Our CEO, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, attended a panel discussion at the partnership launch we arranged with UNICEF and the LEGO Foundation. The aim was to spur debate on child rights, early childhood development and play together with more than 100 key opinion leaders. In September 2015, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp will be in New York to address the importance of a clear focus on children in the Sustainable Development Goals (Principles 1 and 10).
How do we include parents and children in our efforts to support child development?
Engaging with families and children on sustainable development is an important component of driving cultural change throughout society. We’re improving understanding of how the business community impacts children and how it in turn can deliver positive change that increases respect for children in business practices. With this in mind, we launched a new initiative this year - an online campaign encouraging children to use their imagination and build a LEGO DUPLO tower that would in turn help provide play materials to South African children in 150 early childhood programmes. The campaign reached more than 9 million parents and preschoolers with information on child rights and the importance of learning through play.
25 years ago, the world made a set of promises to children to support their development, happiness and safety when it published the United Nations Convention of the Rights of a Child. I am pleased to note that these promises have lifted many children out of poverty and into schools and happier childhoods. However, according to UNICEF, 1 billion children are still deprived of services essential to their survival and development – basics like education and health care. As a global society, we need to do better for children. So, join me in support of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles and be innovative in how you initiate the transformation of your business into being child-responsible .
Content on this page is paid for and provided by UNICEF, sponsor of the business and child rights hub.
