Viet Nam-Singapore Industrial Park Joint Venture (VSIP) Company Limited and LEGO Viet Nam Company held a launching ceremony to plant 50,000 trees in Binh Duong Province, to achieve the goal of building the first carbon-neutral factory of LEGO Viet Nam.
The LEGO Group aims to ensure the factory has minimal impact on the environment.
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 and is one of many initiatives on the LEGO Group’s long-term sustainability ambitions and investments in Viet Nam.
Preben Elnef, Vice President and program lead for the LEGO Group in Viet Nam said: “As we progress as planned on establishing our new factory in Viet Nam, it is a key for us to deliver on our ambition to operate the factory with minimal impact on the environment. We will do so by investing in a solar farm to provide energy to operate the factory and we are exploring many other initiatives that will make our new site a global lighthouse for sustainable operations."
At the same time, LEGO Group wants to improve the quality of living in the urban areas near the factory and support greater biodiversity in the long term.
Seven different types of trees native to Viet Nam will be planted across multiple locations near the factory, and planting will take place at the most optimal times during the year. Currently, 15,000 trees have already been planted, and the LEGO Group will plant a further 35,000 trees supported by VSIP in 2023 and 2024 when 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. A key reason for locating our new factory in Vietnam was the strong support from the Vietnamese government when it comes to our environmental sustainability agenda, and we look forward to their continued support during the construction phase,” said Preben Elnef.
The LEGO Group will invest more than US$1 billion in the construction of its first-ever carbon neutral factory in Viet Nam, including investment in solar energy on a 44-hectare site in Binh Duong, hoping to generate 4,000 jobs in the next 15 years.
The construction is scheduled for the second half of 2022, and the plant will go into operation two years later.
According to LEGO, the factory will be its sixth manufacturing site in the world and the second in Asia.
LEGO’s decision to build its plant in Viet Nam was attributed to the Vietnamese Government’s plans to invest in expanding renewable energy production infrastructure and a collaborative approach to working with foreign companies who are seeking to make high-quality investments, said Chief Operations Officer of Lego Group Carsten Rasmussen.
Plant trees in urban spaces can help reduce temperatures in cities and mitigate short-lived climate pollutants. — VNS