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**Billund, Denmark, 24 April 2025:**  At the LEGO Group, we are committed to minimising the impact of our operations on the environment. Our focus is on decoupling our growth from our environmental footprint, with specific targets set for our carbon emissions, energy use, water consumption, and waste generation. 

LEGO® factories primarily use water to cool moulding equipment and ensure the comfort of our employees. Water is a vital global resource and given the diverse climates in which our factories operate, responsible usage is a growing concern in some regions. We recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to reduce our freshwater use. Therefore, we focus on three key strategies: increasing efficiency, finding alternative sources, and establishing treatment facilities. While we need water clean enough to keep our machines running smoothly, it does not have to meet drinking water quality standards.

**Three consecutive years of reduction in fresh water intake**

We have successfully reduced global water consumption each year since 2022. In 2024, our global factory consumption was 753,711 m³. While not all our factories have achieved reductions, significant progress has been made at several LEGO sites, contributing to an overall decrease  of 56,000 m³ compared to 2023. 

**Unique approaches to conserving resources**

In Monterrey, Mexico, a new water treatment facility has been installed to maximise the reuse of water, including reclaimed municipal wastewater, water from air handling units, and captured rainwater. Overall, the new facility has helped to reduce freshwater and well-water consumption by 85,055 m³, as much as nearly 34 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

In Billund, Denmark, we have developed a system to capture shallow ground water. Last year, 88% of the water used for cooling towers in our factory came from near-surface sources.

In our newly opened factory in Binh Duong, Vietnam, which is LEED Gold certified, we have replaced water cooling with an air-cooling system. We are also minimising freshwater intake via high-efficiency fixtures and fittings, including taps and toilets, and reusing condensate water.  

**Building a more sustainable future for children** 

Reducing the impact of our operations, whilst reaching more children with LEGO play remains an important challenge and we will continue to look for new ways to reduce our impact across water, waste and carbon. We want to play our part in building a more sustainable future for each new generation of children.

**Read more:**

 - Download the [2024 LEGO Group Sustainability Statement][1]
 - Learn more about [sustainable operations at the LEGO Group][2]


  [1]: https://www.lego.com/en-us/sustainability/reporting
  [2]: https://www.lego.com/en-us/sustainability/environment/reducing-our-emissions

Billund, Denmark, 24 April 2025:  We are committed to minimising the impact of our operations on the environment. Our focus is on decoupling our growth from our environmental footprint, with specific targets set for our carbon emissions, energy use, water consumption, and waste generation. 

Finding Innovative Water Solutions for Sustainability

A world map showing LEGO Factory locations with their respective water consumption and water savings.

The LEGO Group has reduced its drinkable water intake to factories for 3 consecutive years from 2022 to 2024.

Innovative Water Solutions for Sustainability

LEGO_Manufacturing_Infographic_2025

At the LEGO Group, we have a region-based supply chain network with factories and distribution centres located across three continents, close to children and fans in our major markets. This helps us respond quickly to shifts in demand while reducing the environmental impact of transporting goods. 

The LEGO Group currently operates six factories worldwide, located in Denmark, Hungary, Czechia, Mexico, China, and Vietnam - our most recent addition in April 2025. This will increase to seven factories with a new opening in the U.S., which remains on track to be completed in 2027. In the meantime, we are operating a temporary packing facility in Virginia.  

We are also investing in our distribution network to expand from one to two distribution centres (RDCs) in each region – Europe, Middle East & Africa, Americas and Asia & Pacific. We opened our RDC in Belgium in June 2024 and our RDC in Vietnam began operations in April 2025. Another RDC in the U.S. is expected to be operational by 2027.  

We continue to expand and upgrade our global manufacturing and distribution network to respond to future demand and support long-term growth. 

These investments will strengthen our manufacturing both regionally and globally by building further resilience and flexibility into our supply chain, allowing us to deliver LEGO products to consumers in an even faster, more efficient way. 

As our network continues to grow, our commitment to safety, quality, innovation, and sustainability remains at the forefront of everything we do. 

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At the LEGO Group, we have a region-based supply chain network with factories and distribution centres located across three continents, close to children and fans in our major markets. This helps us respond quickly to shifts in demand while reducing the environmental impact of transporting goods.

From Production to Play: How the LEGO Group builds and delivers LEGO® products around the world

The LEGO Group operates six factories worldwide, located in Denmark, Hungary, Czechia, Mexico, China, and Vietnam - our most recent addition in April 2025.

From Production to Play

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 - Increased solar capacity by 61 percent globally over the past two years 
 - Solar panels installed across 6 LEGO factory sites 
 - Plans to further increase solar capacity globally by 72 percent in 2025 
 - Solar expansion is a key initiative towards ambition to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 37 percent by 2032 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.   

 

**Billund, Denmark, 31 January 2025:** At the LEGO Group, we want to play our part in creating a more sustainable world for children to inherit.  A critical part of our sustainability strategy lies in limiting our impact on the planet’s resources and climate.  We are focused on better understanding, and then reducing, our total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout our value chain, which includes continuing to look for improvements in our own operations and increasing capacity and production of renewable energy across our production sites.  

We have added 22 MWp of solar energy capacity to our operations globally since 2022. Major developments included doubling solar capacity in our factory in Kladno, Czech Republic and a 400% increase, at our headquarters in Billund, through the development of an off-site solar park. Whilst overall solar energy still accounts for a moderate proportion of total energy used across the business (~4%), global capacity is rapidly growing.

**Building capacity further** 
By the end of 2025, a further 37,97 MWp, a capacity increase of 72% is due to be built across our production sites.  Developments will include tripling capacity in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, where installation work has already begun, across both ground and rooftop mounted parks.

At our new factory opening in 2025 in Vietnam, more than 12,400 rooftop solar panels have already been installed on the roofs of factory buildings, a total solar energy capacity of approximately 7.34 MWp. Here we will also keep exploring new technologies, like battery storage to meet our goals to run on renewable energy.  

A new 80MWp solar park near the LEGO headquarters in Billund, Denmark is on track for completion in 2028, following negotiations with local energy providers. The new solar park will have a peak capacity that matches peak demand, covering total energy consumption across our LEGO sites in Billund.  

**Building a more sustainable future for children** 
Reducing emissions remains one of our biggest challenges and we will continue to look for new ways to minimise environmental impact, including continuing to join forces with suppliers and partners to drive the transition to renewable energy. 

We know the environment is one of children’s biggest concerns and we want to play our part in building a more sustainable future for each new generation of children. We cannot do this alone, and we encourage a collective effort to ensure progress. 

 

 

For more information about the LEGO Group’s sustainability efforts please visit [www.lego.com/sustainability][1]. 

The 2023 Sustainability Report can be downloaded from [https://www.lego.com/sustainability/reporting][2]
 
**Assets caption:** ©2024 The LEGO Group

For more information, please contact media@LEGO.com.

**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][4]


  [1]: www.lego.com/sustainability
  [2]: https://www.lego.com/da-dk/sustainability/reporting
  [3]: https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/aboutus/assets/blta433008b0e2d04f5/Assets.zip
  [4]: www.lego.com

Notes to Editor

At the LEGO Group, we want to play our part in creating a more sustainable world for children to inherit.  A critical part of our sustainability strategy lies in limiting our impact on the planet’s resources and climate. We are focused on better understanding, and then reducing, our total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout our value chain.

Increase in solar capacity to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions 

The LEGO Group has increased in solar capacity by 61 percent globally over the past two years to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Increase in solar capacity to reduce GHG emissions

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 - **No brick left unturned to deliver renewable and recycled raw materials to make long-lasting, durable, safe LEGO bricks**
 - **Annual spend on environmental initiatives doubles by 2025 compared to 2023** 
 - **Increased use of the mass balance principle as a foundation to drive industry-wide change in materials supply**  



**Billund, 6th March, 2024**: We believe it’s important to be transparent about our sustainability efforts, including our ambition to make our products from more sustainable materials. Finding alternative materials to make our long-lasting, durable, safe LEGO bricks with is a significant challenge but one that we are more committed than ever to solving. As we work to solve this challenge, we will continue to share our progress, both big and small steps, as we believe this will help keep us and others moving forward. 
  
**Investing to accelerate progress**  
By 2032, our ambition is to make LEGO products from materials that are renewable and recycled. This ambition requires investment and in 2023, we increased spending on environmental initiatives by 60% compared to 2022. By 2025 we plan to have doubled our annual spend compared to 2023. We know there isn’t one solution for the challenge we face, instead there are a range of solutions, that will help us achieve our ambition. We remain curious, creative and committed in finding them.  

**Materials that meet high standards**  
To date, we’ve tested more than 600 different materials for our LEGO bricks and elements. Some have already been successful, such as bio-PE which we use to make more than 200 different botanical elements and Minifigure accessories. Others have shown potential, but have not met our strict quality, safety and durability requirements, or would not have helped reduce our carbon footprint. This is the nature of innovation, but we always learn from the process and make progress. 

One of our latest successes is the introduction of a new material called arMABS to our portfolio. This is produced using recycled artificial marble, commonly found in kitchen worktops, and from this year it will be used in over 500 different LEGO elements, including all our transparent elements such as light sabres, windscreens and windows. It will be found in around 60% of our sets.   

We’re also excited to be working on the development of a material called ePOM that uses cutting-edge technology to mix renewable energy and CO2 from bio-waste. We hope to start introducing this soon, for select LEGO elements, such as wheel axels.  

**Our role in driving industry change**  
We are pleased with the progress we’re making and will continue to test new materials and technology as they develop.  However, we also want to play a broader role in driving industry change. Right now, the market for high quality sustainable plastic – that can be reused for decades – is still emerging, which means the quantities and quality of raw materials we and other manufacturers need are simply not yet available.  We want to help change this. 

**Moving forward with mass balance**  
One of the ways we aim to do this is by increasing our use of material that has been certified according to mass balance principles. In simple terms, this is resin made from a mix of certified renewable or recycled raw materials, such as used cooking or plant oils, and virgin fossil. We can use this in our existing manufacturing process to make our products without compromising on quality or safety.   

In 2023, 18 percent of all resin we purchased was certified according to mass balance principles, which translates into an estimated average of 12 percent renewable sources. We plan to significantly increase this percentage in 2024 and beyond. We don’t see mass balance as a long-term solution but for now, as technology around sustainable materials continues to develop, we believe it is the best option to stimulate the raw materials market, which in turn will help us to make our products more sustainable.  

**Building a more sustainable future for children**  
We will continue to join forces with suppliers, research institutions and other industries to develop and innovate new and existing materials to drive the industry’s transition to renewable and recycled materials. Today, this is our most important innovation journey - we know the environment is one of children’s biggest concerns and we want to play our part in building a more sustainable future for each new generation of children. We know all of this cannot be done alone and we encourage a collective effort so we can build progress together.   

We believe it’s important to be transparent about our sustainability efforts, including our ambition to make our products from more sustainable materials. Finding alternative materials to make our long-lasting, durable, safe LEGO bricks with is a significant challenge but one that we are more committed than ever to solving.

Making LEGO® Bricks More Sustainable  

We believe it’s important to be transparent about our sustainability efforts, including our ambition to make our products from more sustainable materials. 

Making LEGO® Bricks More Sustainable

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**The evolution of the LEGO minifigure**
It all started in 1974 when the LEGO building figure was launched, made mostly of large square LEGO bricks with moveable arms but immoveable legs. This was followed in 1975 by LEGO stage extra figures with solid torsos, immoveable arms and legs, and no printed features. Basically, very different to the LEGO minifigures we know and love today! Not that we had to wait too long for them to arrive, with 1978 ushering in a new era of LEGO minifigures equipped with moveable limbs and simple facial expressions comprising two solid black eye dots and black painted smile. Fast forward to 2018 and there are now more than 650 unique faces in the collection, meaning children can have fun roleplaying different characters and personalities – anytime, anywhere.

**From 20 to 8,000**
To begin with, there were around 20 different LEGO minifigure characters, including a police officer, doctor, firefighter, knight and astronaut. But in the four decades since, the number of minifigures available has risen to more than 8,000. To put that into context, if the global population had grown at the same rate, there would now be nearly 144 trillion of us living on Earth!

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**The perfect height**
Take away the hair or any other headpiece and LEGO minifigures are exactly the same height as four LEGO bricks fitted together. This means they fit perfectly into the LEGO System in Play. Oh, and if you stacked them head to toe, you would need 20,750 to reach the height of the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa.

**Jack of all trades**
Over the years, LEGO minifigures have shown they can turn their hand to pretty much anything. From pirates to paramedics, engineers to elephant keepers, veterinarians to Vikings, there have been thousands of different minifigure characters. Three LEGO minifigures even blasted into space onboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft in 2011. But one thing has remained consistent throughout: whatever role, character or personality children fancy playing, there’s sure to be a minifigure to match. 

**Diversity Champion**
Did you know the traditional yellow colour of the LEGO minifigure’s head was chosen based on focus group feedback in the early and mid-1970s saying this was preferable to white ones? Since then, minifigures have become increasingly diverse – from the first figures with natural skin tone in 2003 (Lando Calrissian from Star Wars and NBA basketball players) to 2016’s inaugural wheelchair. LEGO minifigures have also done their bit for unstereotyping gender roles with the likes of female firefighters and ninjas, through to fathers equipped with baby carriers. In fact, the whole point of minifigures is they let children create and be anyone they want – male or female, helmet or hair, freckles or glasses, anything. And if you’re worried about our robotic friends, don’t be. There have been plenty of C-3POs and R2D2s (not to mention other robots) too.

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**Hollywood Star**
The LEGO minifigure has starred in a number of Hollywood blockbusters, including THE LEGO® MOVIE™, THE LEGO® BATMAN MOVIE™ and THE LEGO® NINJAGO MOVIE™. In 2007, LEGO Group even created 10,000 gold chrome C-3PO minifigures packed in random sets to mark the 30th anniversary of Star Wars.

**1978-2018 precision mates**
Did you know that eight different moulds are used for the production of every minifigure? Two sets of these moulds are the same in design but reversed to mould the right and left minifigure arms and legs! The precision that goes into these moulds is exceptional, and because the original moulds are almost identical to the ones we use today, minifigures from 1978 can be mixed and matched with the more modern characters from today! However, one thing that has changed is the number of elements each mould can produce and the speed scale of this – for example, the minifigure head mould construction has improved from an initial eight elements per 9,8 sec. to 128 elements per 14.7 sec. today!

**More than just a figure**
LEGO minifigures may be made for fun but there’s a serious side to them as well. By offering an endless choice of roleplay possibilities, they’re designed to let children play inventively, engage with different emotions and tell their own stories. First and foremost, that means a whole lot of enjoyment. But, crucially, it also allows young people to develop key life skills like emotional intelligence, creativity and communication – skills that, according to new research for the LEGO Play Well Report, parents believe will be vital to helping their children build their own bright future.

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In 1978, Disco was dominating the charts, mobile phones were non-existent and the Internet was still more than a decade away. It was also the year the very first LEGO® minifigures went into production. Fast forward to today and those inaugural characters have evolved nearly as much as the world around them, offering endless roleplay possibilities. So, as one of the planet’s tiniest icons celebrates its big 4…0, here are some milestone moments from its very big story.

Little Figure, Big Story - Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the LEGO® minifigure

Minifigure 40

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If you are a journalist, please contact our global press office team at [media@lego.com][1].

For all non-journalist enquiries relating to order status, missing bricks or building instructions, please contact [customer service][2].

For enquiries about business opportunities, charity, product ideas or projects and theses, please check our [contact information][3].


  [1]: mailto:media@lego.com
  [2]: https://www.lego.com/service
  [3]: https://www.lego.com/aboutus/lego-group/contact

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Finding Innovative Water Solutions for Sustainability

From Production to Play: How the LEGO Group builds and delivers LEGO® products around the world

Increase in solar capacity to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Making LEGO® Bricks More Sustainable

Little Figure, Big Story - Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the LEGO® minifigure

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