LEGO Group will plant 50,000 trees in locations close to its new factory to be built in November this year in Vietnam’s southern Binh Duong Province, as one of many sustainability initiatives in the Southeast Asian country, the Danish conglomerate has said.

The 50,000 trees are being planted to compensate for the approximately 25,000 trees that will be removed during the construction of the new factory, LEGO said on its website on September 6.

With an aim to ensure the factory has a minimal impact on the environment, the group has begun the planting of 50,000 trees over a period of three years with support from the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park Joint Venture Company Limited (VSIP), located in Binh Duong, just outside Ho Chi Minh City.

The planting is part of many initiatives on the LEGO Group’s long-term sustainability ambitions and investments in Vietnam.

“As we progress as planned on establishing our new factory in Vietnam, it is key for us to deliver on our ambition to operate the factory with a minimal impact on the environment, Preben Elnef, vice president and program lead for the LEGO in Vietnam said.

Specifically, the group will invest in a solar farm to provide energy to operate the factory and explore many other initiatives that will make the new site a global lighthouse for sustainable operations, Elnef elaborated.

At the same time, the LEGO Group wants to improve the quality of living in the urban areas near the factory and support a greater biodiversity in the long term.

Planting in urban areas will help lower temperatures in cities, bring good effects on physical and mental health to local people, and contribute to mitigate short-lived climate pollutants, the group said.

The group said it has planted 15,000 trees already and will grow further 35,000 trees supported by VSIP in 2023 and 2024 where the factory opens.

“We are excited to now have started the planting of 50,000 trees, as it marks the first of many activities on our sustainability journey in Vietnam,” said Elnef.

The strong support from the Vietnamese government when it comes to our environmental sustainability agenda is a key reason for locating our new factory in Vietnam, he commented, adding that he group look forward to their continued support during the construction phase.

LEGO said “the new factory is set to be the group’s first carbon neutral run site” in Binh Duong.

In a statement issued in December 2021 on its website, LEGO said it will pour over US$1 billion into building its first-ever carbon-neutral plant at a 44-hectare site in the province, which will create up to 4,000 jobs over the next 15 years.

Construction of the carbon-neutral factory, considered a ‘green cornerstone’ in foreign investment flow into Vietnam, will begin in the second half of 2022 and production is due to start during 2024, the group said.

LEGO Group is a world-leading company specializing in manufacturing safe and educational toys that help children develop intelligence and creativity in educational and life settings, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen told Tuoi Tre News in an interview published on May 1, 2022.

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