The LEGO Group is celebrating a reforestation project that has, to date, planted over 1,440 trees across eight country parks in Virginia, US as part of the company’s commitment to minimising its environmental impact in a region where it is building a new $1bn manufacturing site.
The reforestation project sets out to revitalise a number of parks across Chesterfield County in Virginia by planting 17 species of trees native to the region, all of them hand-selected by an expert team of land architects and nursery professionals.
Preben Elnef, vice president and program lead at the LEGO Group, said: “We are proud to partner with Chesterfield County to revitalize green spaces across the county, and to uphold our commitment to reduce our environmental impact in the local area. This project marks another important step in our continued investment in Virginia as we build a state-of-the-art manufacturing site that will bring LEGO play to millions of kids in the future and support learning through play opportunities in the community.”
When completed, the LEGO Group’s investment in Virginia will span more than 1.7 million sq. ft., including office spaces, molding, processing, packing buildings, and a warehouse. The new facility aims to reduce emissions from electricity and fuel use (scope 1 and 2) using on-site or off-site renewable energy. The site is designed to minimise energy use, in line with the company’s overall sustainability ambitions of reducing absolute global carbon emissions by 37% by 2032.
The reforestation project is a show of further commitment to the region. In November 2023, the company announced $1 million in grant funding to six local nonprofit organizations that serve children and families, building on earlier grants of $300,000 to support play-based programming at the Children’s Museum of Richmond and the Science Museum of Virginia.
James M. Holland, chair of Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, said: “The LEGO Group is demonstrating its commitment to a more sustainable future while setting new standards for corporate responsibility at the local level. We are thrilled to have such a strong corporate partner that shares in our mission to achieve lasting, positive impacts in the community.”
