The LEGO Group is working on a series of solar-powered tech expansions this year that are a key part of its ongoing sustainability push to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 

The Danish brickmaker’s next goal on this mission is a 37% GHG reduction by 2032 (from a baseline of 1.16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent—or tCO2e—in 2019). But it still has a long way to go. Between 2019 and 2023, the company steadily increased its emissions output to 1.82 million tCO2e. Now, in order to counteract this bump and make progress towards its overall reduction goal, LEGO is activating new energy-generating projects and printing more products to meet retailer demand. 

Key developments planned for this year include increasing solar capacity at the company’s offices and factories around the world by 72%. When LEGO opens its new factory in Vietnam in the first half of 2025, for example, 12,400 pre-installed solar panels will supply it with power. And the toyco is also working to triple its solar capacity in Nyíregyháza, Hungary by the end of the year. 

Looking ahead to 2028, LEGO is scheduled to complete the build of a new 80MWp solar park near its head office in Billund, Denmark that will provide enough power to match the peak energy demand of all of its Billund-based facilities. 

Chief sustainability officer Annette Stube says investing in more sustainable materials is also critical for achieving net-zero emissions. The company has already added paper-based packaging and energy-efficient molding machines to its production lines in recent years, and now it’s looking at new battery-storage solutions to diversify its renewable energy sources. 

Breaking down LEGO’s GHGs, only 23,403 tCO2e stemmed from running LEGO facilities, stores and vehicles in 2023. And in fact, the company’s largest generator of greenhouse gasses by far is its global supply chain (1.81 million tCO2e), which spans goods and services it purchases (63%), distribution (12%), equipment (9%), use and disposal (9%), commuting and travel (4%) and transporting fuel and energy (3%).