Communication for Sustainable Development

Lego + more investments in renewables

Denmark's KIRKBI A/S, the family holding company behind toy maker Lego, wants to expand its renewable energy investments.


* KIRKBI has invested 6 billion Danish crowns ($876 million) in two offshore wind farms operated by DONG Energy in German and British waters
* "We would like to see these wind turbines up and running first, but we definitely have an appetite for more, and we're constantly looking for possible investment opportunities," the Chief Executive Soren Thorup Sorensen said
* By 2020, the firm plans to generate as much sustainable energy as the Lego Group consumes, he said
* KIRKBI on Tuesday posted a 2016 result of 13.3 billion crowns after tax
* Earnings for 2016 showed positive results of the company's involvement in renewable energy for the first time
* KIRKBI owns 75 percent of Lego Group and almost 30 percent of Merlin Entertainments, the group that owns and runs the Legoland theme parks ($1 = 6.8493 Danish crowns)

LEGO ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP


LEGO have an ambition to contribute by creating positive impact through our environmental actions. That is why they evaluate business through an environmental impact assessment. To see where LEGO can achieve the largest reduction in our CO2 emissions, they look at every aspect along our value chain, from sourcing of materials through to disposal of waste.

LEGO strategic priorities


Reducing CO2 emissions: to reduce their own and theirs suppliers’ CO2 emissions and to build 100% renewable energy capacity. Lego works closely with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in setting ambitious targets to reduce CO2 emissions through improving energy efficiency, and they have invested in an offshore wind farm to produce renewable energy to balance global energy use.

Responsible resources: LEGO wants to innovate sourcing and use of materials. LEGO have therefore made a commitment to find and implement sustainable alternatives to theirs current oil-based raw materials by 2030 and to use sustainable packaging for all LEGO® products, while also aiming to improve waste management.

Inside Lego


How does the LEGO Group produce millions of LEGO® bricks with such precision and in a wealth of colours every single day?
This is the true story about how small pieces of plastic granulate are transformed into creative play sets.

About LEGO


Lego is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colourful interlocking plastic bricks accompanying an array of gears, figurines called minifigures, and various other parts. Lego pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct objects; vehicles, buildings, and working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects.

The Lego Group began manufacturing the interlocking toy bricks in 1949. Since then a global Lego subculture has developed. Supporting movies, games, competitions, and six Legoland amusement parks have been developed under the brand. As of July 2015, 600 billion Lego parts had been produced.

In February 2015, Lego replaced Ferrari as Brand Finance's "world's most powerful brand".

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