The LEGO Group announced today that it plans to build an 80-acre solar park at its new $1.5 billion U.S. factory, LEGO Manufacturing Virginia, supporting the company’s ambition to source 100% renewable energy for the facility’s annual needs.
Currently under construction, the new site will be LEGO’s first manufacturing facility in the U.S., spanning 340 acres and containing 13 buildings including office spaces, molding and packing buildings, an energy center, a high bay automated warehouse. LEGO announced its plans for the facility in 2022, noting at the time that the factory will be designed to operate as a carbon-neutral facility, with 100% of energy needs matched by renewable energy, and with design features to minimize energy consumption and use of non-renewable resources.
The company said that construction of the new solar park is expected to begin this summer, and that it will feature over 30,700 ground-mounted panels with a total capacity of 22 MWp. LEGO Group also said that it plans to install 10,080 rooftop solar panels on top of its buildings, producing an additional 6.11 MWp of capacity.
Additional sustainability features of the new facility highlighted by the company include an ambition to achieve zero waste from factory to landfill and the aim to secure LEED Platinum certification (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) for the building once it is completed including energy, water and waste. LEGO Group also noted that the site’s office spaces are constructed from mass timber, a renewable resource that sequesters carbon rather than releasing it.
Jesus Ibañez, General Manager of LEGO Manufacturing Virginia, said:
“We’re proud of the progress we continue to make. These initiatives are key to increasing our use of renewable energy and support our ongoing commitment towards more sustainable operations.”
