The LEGO Group celebrated a momentous environmental achievement on September 15 with the planting of 50,000 trees at its new LEGO® factory in southern Binh Duong province. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai alongside national and provincial officials, business leaders, and community partners.

The tree-planting marks a pivotal moment in LEGO Manufacturing Vietnam’s community initiatives, which are expected to benefit nearly 5,000 local children. The LEGO Group is also aggressively recruiting talent to reach 100 employees by the end of this year.

“Today is about taking a moment to celebrate the positive environmental and community-focused momentum the LEGO Group has had in Vietnam, as well as to recognize the significant progress we have made in the construction on our state-of-the-art factory - our most sustainable to date,” said Mr. Preben Elnef, General Manager of LEGO Manufacturing Vietnam and Vice President of the LEGO Group.

“As construction gets underway, we are grateful for the continued support from authorities and our many partners, whose cooperation has ensured that we are on track to begin production in the second half of 2024, allowing us to reach even more children with learning through play and creating long-term growth in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The LEGO Group is taking significant steps to reduce its environmental impact. It planted an impressive 50,000 trees at its factory site, exceeding the number removed during construction. The tree-planting initiative, which began in September 2022, promotes long-term biodiversity by including seven different native tree species and has received support from the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park Joint Venture Company Limited (VSIP). The factory itself is designed to be the LEGO Group’s most sustainable to date, with a focus on reducing global carbon emissions by 37 per cent by 2032. It will achieve this through rooftop solar panels, an adjacent solar plant, and energy-efficient production equipment and processes to minimize energy consumption.

In August, LEGO Manufacturing Vietnam launched the Build the Change (BtC) initiative in partnership with the LIFE Centre in Binh Duong’s Tan Uyen district. The program encourages children to tackle real-world challenges using LEGO bricks and creative materials. To reach remote areas, the program employs innovative mobile vans and motorbikes equipped with resources, aiming to complete 60 workshops and benefit over 2,000 local children by the end of the first quarter of 2024. It is also backing OneSky’s pilot project, which strengthens private independent childcare services for low-income families through a cooperative training model involving the Vietnamese Government and OneSky.

The LEGO Group is focused on expanding employment and contributing to the local community. It plans to engage 100 employees by the end of 2023 and aims for 500 by the end of 2024. Training begins on-site in the first quarter of the new year, with additional training opportunities from the LEGO Group’s overseas factories. Progress is well underway on the 44-ha site, which began construction in November 2022. This includes an energy center, a power station, molding and packing facilities, and a high-bay warehouse. Its $1 billion investment in this new factory is the largest by any Danish company in Vietnam, aligning with its strategy to bolster supply chains, meet local demand, reduce the length of supply chains, and lower its environmental impact.