LEGO Announces New US-based Carbon-neutral Factory Project
LEGO is stepping into the future with the new environment-friendly factory plan! The group just recently made the public aware that it will begin the construction of a new carbon-neutral factory based in Virginia, USA.
Based on LEGO's announcement, the carbon-neutral factory will be located in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025, with the factory featuring a solar park that will produce enough energy to keep the factory running. The factory project will span 1.7 million square feet upon completion and make 1,760 jobs available for those within the region.
The $1 billion carbon-neutral factory project is one among others, and LEGO has also begun construction of a similar project in Vietnam, along with expansions of the same nature in China and Europe.
In the report, the CEO of LEGO, Niels B. Christiansen, said: "This is an exciting step for the LEGO Group. More and more families are falling in love with LEGO building, and we are looking forward to making LEGO bricks in the US, one of our largest markets."
He also said: "The location in Virginia allows us to build a solar park which supports our sustainability ambitions and provides easy links to country-wide transportation networks. We are also looking forward to creating fantastic employment opportunities for the people of Virginia."
The group's move to introduce renewable energy usage in its facilities is part of LEGO's bigger plan to reduce carbon emissions by 37% by 2032.
Asides from its building projects, LEGO is also beginning to replace plastic packaging in its sets with paper bags, which are very eco-friendly. In addition, LEGO instruction manuals are also no longer being printed with as much ink as before.
About the investment:
- Investment: US$1 billion
- Jobs: 1,760 positions created over a period of 10 years
- Land: 340 acres/137 ha
- Buildings: 1.7 million sq ft / 160.000 m² which will house molding, processing, and packing that will supply the American market.