The brief
The LEGO Group noticed there was an absence of youth voices and input to policies and discussions around regulating plastic pollution and developing circular economy frameworks. Aligned to The LEGO Group’s desire to join forces with and keep children as their number one stakeholder, they wanted to harness these voices via a study on the circular economy to find out what children know, and feel, about the subject.
The approach
There were three stages to the research:
- Initial desk research into the circular economy in the curriculum, followed by interviews with teachers in Canada, the US and UK.
- Qualitative interviews with 24 children aged 8-12 in Canada and the UK to gain a deeper insight into children’s views and understanding of the circular economy and circular behaviours.
- A survey of 6,116 young people aged 8-18 in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and US to quantify previous learning and obtain key statistics surrounding the views and understanding of children concerning the circular economy. The survey was delivered in English, French, German, Mandarin and Japanese with cognitive interviews used to validate the translations.
The value
The findings were presented at the World Circular Economy Forum (2021) and developed into country circular economy youth reports to help shape national policy frameworks and inspire world leaders by giving children a voice. A comprehensive report was made publicly available.
