Global Child Forum Launches Essential Playbook to Prioritise Children’s Rights within Corporate Sustainability Reporting

As the world grapples with increasing social and environmental challenges, Global Child Forum is proud to announce the release of “The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting,” supported by the LEGO Group.

This Playbook aims to integrate the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBPs) into the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), helping businesses to better understand and report their impact on children’s rights. This timely initiative provides step-by-step guidance and sets a new standard for corporate responsibility and accountability.

Diana Ringe Krogh, Vice President of Social Responsibility at the LEGO Group, said: “We know that childhood experiences shape our futures and set the foundation for success in later life. Recognising the profound impact businesses can have on young lives, we bear the responsibility to act decisively. Our partnership with Global Child Forum in producing this new corporate playbook is a testament to our commitment. With this, we call upon companies to integrate children’s rights into their sustainability efforts, ensuring that these rights are not merely an afterthought but a core component of corporate strategies. Together, we can ensure we play our part in giving children the best possible start in life.”

Ekin Björstedt, Secretary General at Global Child Forum, underscored the critical importance of this collaboration: “Children make up a third of the world’s population, meaning that companies will inevitably impact their lives, making them key stakeholders in any business. This must be recognised and addressed by the corporate sector as part of their sustainability and social impact agendas. Our partnership with the LEGO Group comes at a pivotal time, ensuring that children’s rights are fully integrated and prioritised within corporate sustainability strategies.”

Putting children’s rights and business into play amidst evolving regulations

Children’s rights are increasingly threatened by climate change, rising child labour, conflict, mental health challenges from digital exposure, and physical health issues tied to nutrition and environmental impacts. Now more than ever, businesses must address their impact on children’s rights.

The release of “The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting” is both timely and essential and coincides with the introduction of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which are now shaping the future of corporate sustainability reporting across Europe and beyond. These new standards present a timely opportunity to ensure children’s rights are not overlooked but are instead front and centre in corporate strategies.

Recent reports from the Global Child Forum Corporate Sector and Children’s Rights Benchmark reveal that very few companies adequately internalise the Children’s Rights and Business Principles (CRBPs) into their operations.

“The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting,” launched today, addresses this critical gap by embedding children’s rights into the CSRD framework. This guide provides clear, actionable steps to help businesses integrate children’s rights into their sustainability practices, ensuring these vital issues receive the attention they deserve.

Why now? The critical role of “ The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting” in the current landscape

This guide arrives at a crucial time and has been specifically developed for companies now required to report according to the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). With the increased reporting burden, there is a risk that areas not explicitly covered by the standards may be deprioritised. Therefore, this guide comes at an important time to help companies identify and report on their material impacts, including the impact on children’s lives.

“The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting” aligns with the ESRS, providing a unified framework for consistent reporting. This not only improves transparency but also enables stakeholders to evaluate a company’s efforts to protect children’s rights more effectively. By adopting these guidelines, businesses may gain a competitive advantage by appealing to socially conscious consumers and investors, differentiating themselves in an increasingly values-driven market.

A call to action: Using “The Corporate Playbook” to drive immediate change

For businesses, “The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting” is more than just a guide—it is a call to action. In today’s climate, where protection of the environment and human rights are increasingly intertwined, using “The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting” can help companies build trust among stakeholders, comply with evolving regulations, and mitigate human rights risks. By integrating children’s rights into business practices now, companies can foster long-term sustainability and positive social change, benefiting both the business and the community.

The time for action is now. Companies must move beyond rhetoric to meaningful integration of children’s rights into their sustainability strategies. This guide is designed to be the essential desktop companion for sustainability professionals, C-suite leaders, and investment decision-makers looking to lead the way in corporate responsibility and accountability.

“The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting” was prepared with the support of the LEGO Group and with input from corporate partners, including IKEA, Lindéngruppen, Beckers, H&M, Orkla, Telefonica and Tele2.

For more information about this project, please contact:

Linda Ravin Lodding
Head of Communications
Global Child Forum
+72 387 0248

The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine. The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well.” Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com