Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operating Officer, the LEGO Group
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Last week, I attended the [opening of European Energy’s new e-methanol factory in Kassø][1], Denmark – the world’s first large-scale commercial facility. This event was an important milestone, both for Denmark’s renewable energy ambitions and for the LEGO Group’s commitment to using more sustainable materials by 2032. 

Standing alongside like-minded companies, I was truly inspired by the shared drive to take action and create lasting change. European Energy’s groundbreaking work with e-methanol is a critical step forward, and we’re proud to support this initiative alongside Novo Nordisk and Maersk.   

Later this year, we’ll start using e-methanol from the factory to make ePOM – a more sustainable material that helps us create hard, durable LEGO® elements such as wheel axels, connectors and even our minifigure hands. Importantly, the innovative manufacturing approach allows us to maintain the same high standards of quality and safety. In fact, you won’t be able to tell the difference – and that’s the point. The LEGO play experience remains the same, while reducing our environmental impact. 

E-methanol is just one part of our broader portfolio of sustainable materials. There’s no single solution to tackling climate change. It requires many solutions moving in parallel and evolving as technology advances. So far, we’ve tested more than 600 different materials. 

Some of our products already use these sustainable alternatives, like Brazilian sugarcane for 200 of our flexible elements, recycled fishing nets and recycled engine oil to make some of our tyres, and artificial marble – commonly used in kitchens – for our transparent pieces. We’re pleased with our progress – nearly half of the materials purchased in 2024 were produced with sustainable sources. E-methanol will help us go even further in reducing our use of virgin fossil materials.  

But we can’t solve these problems in isolation. Collaboration and partnerships like this are essential. By working across industries, we can accelerate innovation, scale meaningful solutions and set new industry standards that no company could achieve independently.  

Children are our role models, and we’re committed to helping them inherit a healthy planet. That means embedding sustainability into everything we do — from the materials we source and how we operate our factories, to how we collaborate across industries to tackle climate change. 

The Kassø factory is a powerful symbol of what’s possible when ambition meets action. And like any great LEGO creation, sustainable solutions like this are bigger and bolder when built together. 


  [1]: https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2025/may/kass-e-methanol-facility-officially-inaugurated

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What do wheel axles, connectors and minifigure hands have to do with the opening of a new e-methanol factory in Kassø?
Quite a lot, actually.

Play powering progress – How collaboration is supporting innovative climate solutions

Pushing for change: Why the LEGO Group backs e-methanol to cut fossil use and build a more sustainable future for play, one brick at a time.

Carsten op-ed: June 2025

**The world's first large-scale commercial e-methanol facility, the Kassø e-methanol facility, has been officially inaugurated and is ready to deliver e-methanol to key partners.**

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**BILLUND, DENMARK, May 13, 2025:** The Kassø e-methanol facility in Aabenraa, Denmark, has been officially inaugurated and is now supplying e-methanol to offtakers.

Developed by European Energy and operated in collaboration with Mitsui & Co., the facility is owned by Solar Park Kassø ApS under Kassø MidCo ApS, with European Energy A/S holding a 51% stake and Mitsui & Co. 49%.

The Kassø e-methanol facility is supplying e-methanol to industry leaders including A.P. Moller – Maersk, the LEGO Group, and Novo Nordisk. These companies have a shared  ambition to adopt lower-carbon solutions.

The Kassø facility is the first of its kind globally to produce e-methanol at commercial scale. The plant has an annual production capacity of 42,000 tonnes and operates entirely on renewable energy sources.

Situated next to Northern Europe’s largest solar park - the 304 MW Kassø Solar Park - the facility integrates large-scale renewable power generation with carbon capture and utilisation. By combining biogenic CO₂ with green hydrogen produced on-site, the Kassø e-methanol facility manufactures e-methanol with up to a 97% reduced carbon footprint compared to fossil-based products.

The project is designed to support the direct decarbonisation of sectors that are otherwise difficult to electrify. A.P. Moller - Maersk will use e-methanol produced at Kassø to fuel Laura Mærsk, the world’s first container vessel capable of operating on methanol. E-methanol from the facility will also be used in industrial processes where fossil-based methanol has traditionally been standard. One such application is in plastics, where manufacturers aim to adopt more sustainable materials while maintaining safety and quality standards. The LEGO Group and Novo Nordisk are also offtakers of e-methanol from Kassø, using it to replace fossil methanol in the production of selected products.

Mitsui & Co. has contributed strategic expertise and global reach to support the facility's long-term development and operation. The collaboration between European Energy and Mitsui reflects a shared ambition to accelerate commercial pathways for Power-to-X technologies and expand the use of low-emission alternatives in hard-to-abate sectors globally.

**Knud Erik Andersen, CEO of European Energy,** said:
"The start of operations at Kassø marks a major step forward in bringing Power-to-X technologies into real-world use. This is renewable energy in action, transforming how we use electricity.”

**Takashi Furutani, Senior Executive Managing Officer at Mitsui & Co.** said:
"We are honoured to play a pivotal role in advancing this pioneering project, which fosters integrated approaches across product value chains as part of our Global Energy Transition strategy. Kassø exemplifies the importance of international collaboration in scaling low-emission solutions.”

**Rabab Raafat Boulos, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer at A.P. Moller - Maersk,** said:
"We are excited to receive the first e-methanol from the Kassø facility, marking an important milestone in our global efforts to source alternative fuels for our vessel fleet. The future of shipping must include multiple fuel types operating alongside each other, with methanol playing a key role in the industry’s net-zero ambitions."

**Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operations Officer at the LEGO Group,** said:
"Sourcing renewable e-methanol is part of our ambition to make LEGO® products more sustainable and reduce carbon emissions. Later this year, we will use the material to produce select LEGO elements - such as cross axles and connectors - while maintaining our high standards of safety, durability, and quality. This partnership is a powerful example of how collaboration and innovation across industries can accelerate meaningful progress.”

**Dorethe Nielsen, VP Corporate Environmental Strategy, Novo Nordisk,** said:
"This partnership enables us to take practical steps in decarbonising our supply chain and reducing the environmental impact of our products.”

**Media assets**
B-roll available upon request.

**Contact information**

**European Energy**
Ming Ou Lü
PR Manager
+45 3126 9376
Miol@europeanenergy.com

**Mitsui & Co.**
Corporate Communications Division
Telephone: +81-80-5912-0321
Facsimile: +81-3-3285-9819
Contact form

**A.P. Moller – Maersk**
Rikke Marie Dahl
Senior Media Relation Advisor, Energy Transition
+45 2922 2143
rikke.dahl@maersk.com
 
**Novo Nordisk**
GlobalMedia:
GLOBALMEDIA@novonordisk.com
 
**The LEGO Group**
Press inquiries:
media@lego.com

**About European Energy**
European Energy develops, finances, constructs and operates wind and solar farms as well as Power-to-X facilities. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the company is developing projects in 25 countries. Founded in 2004, European Energy has a development pipeline of more than 65 GW of renewable energy projects.

**About Mitsui & Co.**
Mitsui & Co. is a global investment and trading company with a presence in more than 60 countries and a diverse business portfolio covering a wide range of industries. The company identifies, develops and grows its businesses in partnership with a global network of trusted partners including world leading companies, combining its geographic and cross-industry strengths to create long-term sustainable value for its stakeholders. Mitsui has set three key strategic initiatives for its current Medium-term Management Plan: supporting industries to grow and evolve with stable supplies of resources and materials, providing infrastructure; promoting a global transition to low-carbon and renewable energy; and empowering people to lead healthy lives through the delivery of quality healthcare and access to good nutrition. 

Visit [https://www.mitsui.com/jp/en/][1] for more information.

**About Maersk**
A.P. Moller - Maersk is an integrated logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As a global leader in logistics services, the company operates in more than 130 countries and employs around 100,000 people. Maersk is aiming to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies, new vessels, and reduced GHG emissions fuels.

**About Novo Nordisk**
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 77,400 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. 

For more information, visit [novonordisk.com][2], [Facebook][3], [Instagram][4], [X][5], [LinkedIn][6] and [YouTube][7].

**About the LEGO Group**
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][8]


  [1]: https://www.mitsui.com/jp/en/
  [2]: novonordisk.com
  [3]: https://www.facebook.com/novonordisk/
  [4]: https://www.instagram.com/novonordisk/
  [5]: https://x.com/novonordisk
  [6]: https://www.linkedin.com/company/novo-nordisk/
  [7]: https://www.youtube.com/user/novonordisk
  [8]: www.LEGO.com

Notes to editor

The world's first large-scale commercial e-methanol facility, the Kassø e-methanol facility, has been officially inaugurated and is ready to deliver e-methanol to key partners.

Kassø e-methanol facility officially inaugurated

The world’s first large-scale e-methanol plant opens in Denmark, supplying Maersk, the LEGO Group, and Novo Nordisk with low-carbon fuel for production.

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