LEGO Manufacturing Virginia has announced plans for a solar park on site, advancing construction and the facility’s goals of sustainable operation.
The LEGO Group’s upcoming Virgina factory will be home to an on-site solar park to power the facility and help contribute to the new factory’s sustainability initiatives.
The Virginia factory has been under construction for a while now, hitting a major milestone back in October and set to open in 2027. While the ultimate business goal for the facility is to aid the North American supply chain, the LEGO Group has made a commitment to building the facility in an environmentally- and community-friendly way.
Covering 80 acres, the solar park will be home to 30,700 panels with a total capacity of 22 MWp. There will also be 10,800 rooftop panels that will add an extra 6.11 MWp of capacity. These panels, which are expected to begin being placed this summer, will greatly assist the facility’s goal of 100% renewable energy for its annual needs.
“We’re proud of the progress we continue to make,” said LEGO Manufacturing Virginia General Manager Jesus Ibañez. “These initiatives are key to increasing our use of renewable energy and support our ongoing commitment towards more sustainable operations.”
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The factory is doing a lot more than just adding solar panels on its quest towards sustainability — the on-site offices are built from mass timber, a renewable material that sequesters carbon instead of releasing it. The LEGO Group’s overall policy of ‘zero waste to landfill’ will also be practiced, so that nearly all waste is reused, recycled, composted or sent to non-landfill alternatives. Once open, the factory will also seek LEED Platinum certification.
Combining these initiatives with the LEGO Group’s wider aspirations of fully sustainable production for its bricks and packaging is a recipe for the greenest LEGO factory yet, though others aren’t going to be left behind. In Hungary, the Nyíregyháza factory recently underwent expansion that included sustainability improvements, and in Vietnam, another new factory recently opened with the environment in mind.
As for Virginia, the LEGO Group will continue its environmental efforts while building up the community as well. The number of jobs at the site is expected to increase to 900 by the end of the year, with a goal of 1,700 positions created over 10 years. Beyond its campus, the LEGO Group remains dedicated to supporting nonprofit organisations in the area, offering over $1.3 million in grants.
LEGO Manufacturing Virginia is expected to open in 2027 in Chesterfield County.
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