Lego exec Tim Brooks takes top sustainability job at pharmaceutical firm

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Tim Brooks, who guided toymaker Lego Group’s push for plastics alternatives and the shape of its net-zero goals for 12 years, has joined naxolone maker Hikma Pharmaceuticals as chief sustainability officer. 

Brooks started his new job Dec. 1 and switched industries because of the opportunity to shape the delivery of affordable medicine, he said in the LinkedIn post Dec. 2 announcing his new job.

“There are many similarities between toy manufacturing and pharmaceuticals (quality and safety to name a few), but it’s totally different in most of the ways that count,” Brooks said.

London-based Hikma, which had annual revenue of close to $3 billion in 2023, is one of the top suppliers for generic injectable medicines in the U.S., and it also sells methadone and fentanyl. In February, it agreed to a $150 million settlement related to its role in the opioid crisis — including $35 million in donations of injectable and nasal naxolone, which is designed to reverse opioid overdoses.

Lengthy transition at Lego

Brooks has worked alongside his replacement, Annette Stube, since January in a transition capacity, so his departure is not a surprise. He most recently reported to Lego’s chief people officer, Loren Shuster, but was previously part of the CFO’s organization.

Brooks joined Lego in November 2012 as senior director of environmental sustainability, after working in the environmental program at retailer Tesco. He was promoted to Lego CSO in January 2016. Progress made under his leadership:

• Achieving net zero for Scope 1 and Scope 2, although that’s a negligible part of the company’s emissions.
• Developing an internal price for carbon, which funds emissions reduction initiatives.
• Eliminating single-use plastic bags in Lego boxes.
• Setting stricter emissions requirements for suppliers, which represent close to 99 percent of its carbon footprint. They’ll need to share reduction targets starting in 2026.
• Kickstarting a process to find more sustainable materials to make its iconic bricks. It has tested more than 600 so far, but in September 2023 backed off a commitment to make its products entirely from recycled plastic. One challenge is the longevity of the bricks: Anything new needs to fit with old ones.

Lego has pledged to cut its emissions by 37 percent by 2032. The accomplishment Brooks is most proud of is the Lego replay take-back program, he told me. Since 2018, the initiative has reclaimed 20 million Lego bricks and donated them to charities. 

His advice for other sustainability leaders: “If you’re not getting Nos for projects and plans, then you’re not pushing hard enough.”

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