LEGO ‘Green Instructions’

Short summary:

This campaign was carried out in Poland - a country where 79.9% of energy still comes from coal, the area is the most polluted in Europe and there is no school education on climate change and the impact of energy sources on the natural environment. We introduced additional instructions to popular LEGO sets showing how to rebuild them into green constructions. The manuals provide information to educate you why the rebuilt item has less environmental impact than the original in the real world. In this way, we used LEGO as a language of communication with the younger generation about the changes needed in the real world. During the lockdown, lessons were created using green instructions, led by the most popular Polish teacher. Other teachers discovered them and started using them in their classrooms across 50 cities in Poland, thus generating thousands of hours of environmental education through play.

Insight

In Poland 79.9% of energy is still produced using coal, so there’s a lot of education that needs to take place on climate change and the direct impact of energy sources on the environment. The country has some of the most polluted air in Europe but there is zero education in schools about this important issue.

Idea

As a part LEGO’s new global “Rebuild the World” positioning, we created a local expression of this ambition, aimed at Poland’s growing younger population. We launched new ‘Green Instructions’ (in polish: ‘Zielone Instrukcje’), additional instructions to existing LEGO sets - which became available to turn LEGO sets into greener versions. Using LEGO bricks as a language of communication with the next generation. New instructions to turn cars into bicycles or scooters, planes into electric trains, and coal mines into electricity generating windmills. All this to educate the next generation about a brighter future.

Execution

When the global lockdown came, we added online lessons based on the same ‘Green Instructions’ - led by one of the most popular Polish teachers. We made these lessons available to everyone who wanted to watch and listen. Soon teachers from all over the country discovered them and started using them in their own classrooms. Our message has already found its way into a large number of schools across the country. And LEGO continues to promote the initiative to make sure as many people can access these learnings as possible.

Brand relevance

Green Instructions are a part of LEGO Group ambition to create a sustainable future for our children. All part of our wider initiatives, where 100% of the LEGO group is already powered by solar and wind Energy, and we’ve already invented 80 new types of bricks from eco-friendly sugar cane. By 2030 all LEGO bricks will be made from this material.

Channels:

- Physical ‘Green Instructions’ for popular existing LEGO sets distributed in all LEGO stores in Poland (printed on recycled paper),

- digital ‘Green Instructions’ available for free download from www.greeninstructions.com

- communication on all official Polish and global LEGO social and digital channels

- online video lessons using ‘Green Instructions’ with the most popular polish teacher Przemek Staroń,

- educational materials with the use of ‘Green instructions’ for teachers to download,

- educational materials based on ‘Green Instructions’ sent to schools across the country,

- interactive online quizzes using elements from the green instructions to consolidate knowledge,

- social media competition for children and parents to create new ‘Green Instructions’.

Results

- For the first time in Polish history LEGO successfully delivered climate change lessons into schools across Poland,

- online lessons during lockdown with the use of Green Instructions reached 723 schools,

 - over 2 million impressions in the first 2 weeks,

- organic participation by 4 popular Polish celebrities with over 1.5M followers - over 23K comments and reactions and over 370K reach.

- 100% of LEGO retail partners in Poland engaged in the distribution of the Green Instructions, 

- 100% of positive reactions from parents, teachers and kids:

·       Brilliant activation! Creating awareness at a young age!

·       The most fun is to build from the instructions and then take it apart and make your own

·       I survived putting this set together with the whole family involved and it took about 4 hours. It was worth it!

·       Wonderful idea! Just like in the old days, you used to build different things with the same blocks but now with a cause!

• These have really helped me teach students what is happening in the world and why.
• What a great idea, so simple and my kids have learnt so much!