Lego to end Shell deal after Greenpeace anti-Artic drilling campaign

Lego will end its partnership with Shell that dates back to the 1960s after coming under sustained pressure from Greenpeace to end the association.

The Danish toy manufacturer said it would continue to honour the current contract with Shell until it expired but didn’t disclose when that would be.

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has protested about the oil giant’s plans to drill in the Arctic and targeted Lego with a YouTube video that attracted nearly 6 million views for its depiction of a pristine Arctic, built from 120kg of Lego, being covered in oil.

As well as the “Everything is not awesome” video, activists at Greenpeace also protested at Legoland in Windsor by dressing as Lego figures.

Greenpeace also circulated an online petition in July calling for Lego to sever ties with Shell, which it has accused of operating recklessly in exploring for oil in the Arctic.

Lego initially resisted but relented on Thursday and Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO of the Lego Group, said: “As things currently stand we will not renew the contract with Shell when the present contract ends”.

Lego products are currently distributed at petrol stations in 26 countries, in a deal valued at around £68 million.

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, has claimed that the public response to its campaign has had a significant impact: “It did touch a bit of a raw nerve about the partnership between the two companies that people thought was completely inappropriate – for a toy company like Lego to partner with an oil corporation – which is a sign of changes that are happening.”

Knudstorp said on Thursday: “The Greenpeace campaign uses the Lego brand to target Shell. As we have stated before, we firmly believe Greenpeace ought to have a direct conversation with Shell. The Lego brand, and everyone who enjoys creative play, should never have become part of this dispute between Greenpeace and Shell. Our stakeholders have high expectations of the way we operate. So do we. We do not agree with the tactics used by Greenpeace that may have created misunderstandings among our stakeholders about the way we operate, and we want to ensure our attention is not diverted from our commitment to delivering creative and inspiring play experiences.”

Shell dropped its plans in January to drill for oil in the Arctic this summer, and cited poor market conditions and internal failures.

In August, the company submitted a new drilling plan to US authorities that could pave the way for oil exploration in the Arctic in 2015, off the coast of north-west Alaska.

The partnership between Lego and Shell dates to the 1960s and has involved Shell-branded toy sets being sold globally.

Lego is renowned for energy efficiency to the use of renewable energy in its operations, and according to reports from the company, is looking for alternatives to the crude oil from which it makes its bricks.

The first Lego sets featuring Shell-branded items were released in 1966.

Annika Jacobson, head of Greenpeace in Sweden, said: “We’re very pleased with Lego’s decision, after nearly half a century’s partnership, to abandon future collaborations with Shell.”