logo
Lego opens groundbreaking $1 billion factory with incredible ambitions: 'Sometimes it takes a big company ... to take those risks'

Lego opens groundbreaking $1 billion factory with incredible ambitions: 'Sometimes it takes a big company ... to take those risks'

Yahoo11-05-2025

Lego opened a remarkable $1 billion factory in Vietnam designed to make beloved toy bricks without adding carbon pollution, reported The Associated Press.
The new facility near Ho Chi Minh City will run on clean energy by early 2026, making it Vietnam's first factory to reach this environmental goal.
The impressive operation covers an area equal to 62 soccer fields and uses 12,400 solar panels with a battery storage system that will supply most of the factory's electricity needs.
This development helps both toy makers and eco-minded parents.
Lego is working to cut pollution by 37% by 2032 and reach net zero by 2050. The factory already uses paper bags instead of single-use plastic for packaging and has planted twice as many trees as were removed during construction.
The Vietnam location also makes strategic business sense for the Danish toy maker.
By placing factories in regions they supply, Lego can avoid tariffs and better serve growing markets in Southeast Asia. The company will open a distribution center in Vietnam's southern Dong Nai province to help serve Australia and other Asian countries.
Inside the factory, highly advanced robots make colorful bricks with incredible precision: to a 10th of a hair's width. The facility will employ thousands of skilled workers trained at Lego's factory in eastern China to operate these sophisticated machines.
Vietnam stands to gain from this project as well.
The country aims to reach net-zero pollution by 2050 and hopes this factory will set an example for more green manufacturing. A new 2024 rule allows big foreign companies to buy clean energy directly from solar and wind power producers, helping Lego meet its clean energy goals.
Should the government be paying us to upgrade our homes?
Definitely
Depends on how much it costs
Depends on what it's for
No way
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
"We just want to make sure that the planet that the children inherit when they grow up needs to be a planet that is still there. That is functional," Lego CEO Niels Christiansen told the AP.
Mimi Vu, founder of the consultancy Raise Partners in Ho Chi Minh City, explained that the factory shows how large, energy-heavy factories can be sustainable yet remain profitable.
"Sometimes it takes a big company, like Lego, to take those risks. To show that we can do it … and we can be profitable," she said.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Developer: Asian market, food hall at Burnsville Center nearing finish line
Developer: Asian market, food hall at Burnsville Center nearing finish line

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Developer: Asian market, food hall at Burnsville Center nearing finish line

Developer: Asian market, food hall at Burnsville Center nearing finish line originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The Asian supermarket and food hall designed to transform Burnsville Center remains in the pipeline, three years after the plans were unveiled. The Windfall Group initially said the the development, known as Pacifica of Burnsville, could open as soon as January 22, 2023, in celebration of Lunar New Year – a date that came and went while the project was beginning to move through the city's formal planning process. In December 2023, the Windfall Group said the destination was on track to open at the end of the first quarter in 2024. A March 2024 press release advertised the food hall would indeed open very soon - before summer. Now, over one year later, the project remains under construction and no opening date is set. "The community is very antsy for this project," Burnsville City Council Member Vince Workman told developers last week. "We're almost to the finish line," Christina Le, one of the project's developers, reassured city officials. The Burnsville City Council voted unanimously June 3 to once again amend the city's $1.1 million grant tied to the redevelopment to allow more time for construction. The extension sets a Jan. 31, 2026 deadline for exterior renovations, with interior work on the project set to wrap up this month. "Yes, we have had our delays and so forth but we did not take any shortcuts," Le told the City Council. "We did not diminish any quality in the work that we've done. We've kept the quality high." The Windfall Group, an international developer, is also behind Pacifica Square in Aurora, Illinois, which is billed as one of the largest "one-stop" Asian lifestyle centers in the country. The development in Burnsville is planned to be anchored by the upscale Asian supermarket chain, Enson Market, and a feature a nine-vendor food hall, called Ate Ate Ate. In a letter to the City Council dated March 5, Eddie Ni, with the Windfall Group, indicated plans to construct a two-story addition to incorporate patio dining and a landscaped plaza have been nixed. "Instead of constructing a 15,000-square-foot addition, we aim to create affordable and inviting spaces for tenants while preserving parking," the letter reads. "The two restaurants originally planned for the addition will now occupy vacant mall units." Ni also noted progress on Enson Market have been impacted by shipment delays from overseas. Ate Ate Ate is designed to emulate Asia's atmospheric street markets, with a stroll through the food hall taking guests from morning cafes, to lunchtime spots and, finally, the evening-inspired segment, which will be complete with vibrant lights and live music. Hospitality HQ, the food hall's operator, will oversee the curation of vendors. The current vendor line-up includes Soga Mochi Donuts, which became Minnesota's first mochi donut business when it brought its Japanese-style treats to St. Paul in 2021. Bulgogi, bibimbap and other Korean favorites will be served at Hang Sang Korean Cuisine and Nepal-style dumplings filled with seasoned meat and veggies will be the focus at Amazing Momo. Other vendors include Asian-inspired ice cream shop ODAY Creamery, Niko Niko Boba, Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls and spots serving ramen, hand-crafted sushi rolls and sashimi and Mediterranean fare, according to Le. A central bar, called Urban Oasis, will offer self-serve beer and wine, she added. "This really means a lot to us that you've been patient and waited this long," she told the City Council. "We're almost there." According to Le, a grand opening is expected before the end of the story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.

City of South Fulton gets $500,000 grant for environmental assessments, cleanup
City of South Fulton gets $500,000 grant for environmental assessments, cleanup

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

City of South Fulton gets $500,000 grant for environmental assessments, cleanup

The City of South Fulton was awarded half a million dollars by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess, clean up and develop what are known as brownfield sites. A brownfield is a site that could be used or redeveloped except there's some type of pollutant or contaminating substance at the location, keeping it from being safe enough to rebuild or use. The $500,000 awarded to the City of South Fulton will allow officials to look at a variety underused properties in the city and then clean them up to turn them into assets the city can use for growth, the city said in a statement. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Officials announce new area code coming to some Georgia phone customers Fake Uber Eats killing suspect in court, victim's family removed from hearing Asian needle ants crawling across US, now found in 20 states, sting cause life-threatening reaction 'The EPA's Brownfields Grant program represents a meaningful intersection of environmental justice and economic redevelopment,' Sharon D. Subadan, City Manager of South Fulton, said. 'This funding allows us to methodically address properties that have constrained local development as we move forward with a clear, sustainable vision for reuse. It is a powerful affirmation of our commitment to environmental stewardship and community resilience.' The funds will be used in a targeted manner, according to officials. The city said it plans to focus on historically underserved areas and use the funds to help redevelop their potential. 'This $500,000 award is both a strategic investment and a recognition of the City's leadership in equitable redevelopment,' Carmen Davis, Assistant City Manager, said. 'We are committed to deploying these resources through data-driven planning, interagency coordination, and inclusive community partnerships.' For 2025, the EPA awarded $267 million in funds from the Brownfields Assessment Grant program. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

NHL's state income tax debate heats up with the Florida Panthers back in the Stanley Cup Final
NHL's state income tax debate heats up with the Florida Panthers back in the Stanley Cup Final

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

NHL's state income tax debate heats up with the Florida Panthers back in the Stanley Cup Final

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers are two wins away from becoming the fifth Stanley Cup champion in the past six years from a U.S. state with no income tax. The run has made taxes something of a hot topic around the league. Many contenders going deep in the playoffs come from Sun Belt locales, but the financial benefit is one advantage of many for them in attracting and retaining players. Or is it? "The tax thing is marginal at best, and I think the real reasons are that we're trying to do figure out a way to do our best to try to win," Florida general manager Bill Zito said, adding that team ownership and coach Paul Maurice are also key assets. 'The sun doesn't kill us. It's a nice environment to live in. It's a good place for families. It's a good place for singles. It's got a little something for everybody,' Commissioner Gary Bettman said before the final he 'hates the issue," and that was evident Monday night on TNT when retired player-turned-analyst Paul Bissonnette suggested tax problems should be addressed in the next collective bargaining agreement. Bettman called it ridiculous and rhetorically asked if the league should subsidize teams in places like New York and Los Angeles. The NHL tax landscape The Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken are the six NHL teams out of 32 in a place with no state income tax. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said some other franchises have raised it as a concern but added the league does not share that thinking. 'These imbalances have existed forever,' Daly said. 'There are so many reasons why a player may choose to play in a particular location for a particular team for a particular coach that have nothing to do with the tax situation in that market.' The union seems to agreed that nothing needs to be negotiated in the next CBA to mitigate varying tax levels. NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey, who played for seven teams over 17 seasons from 2003-20, cited a run of Cup winners in places like Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh over a decade-plus span as a hole in the argument. 'I'm kind of baffled at times that this is the topic it is,' Hainsey said. 'To react this way out there because Florida and Tampa are having their moment here where they have the players, good teams, took less to stay — it's the same thing that's happened the previous 12 years with all these other things. So, when we talk about, is it really an issue, I'm not certain that it is." Hainsey also pointed out that this is not a top issue in the NFL and NBA. Of course, hockey still has a ways to go to catch up with football and basketball player salaries, even with the NHL cap rising over the next few years because of revenues setting records. Alan Pogroszewski, who has studied and worked with players on tax matters for more than a decade, said a flexible salary cap would account for the range of tax situations. His AFP Consulting found that since 2016, teams in places with no state income tax qualified for the playoffs at a higher rate, providing what he called 'an innate-built-in tax advantage for several of these cities.' 'It's a combination of many things,' Pogroszewski said Tuesday. 'There's more factors than just the amount of money that's spent. It's how it's spent. But when you come into an equal playing field and your dollar's worth more, then that allows you some leeway.' What do players think? Brad Marchand, a Canadian who played in Boston for a decade and a half before getting traded to Florida in March, does not dismiss taxes as a factor in choosing where to play. "The Canadian teams, most of them have an extremely high tax rate, and then the California teams, same thing: Those teams are going to have to pay more money to get certain players than others,' Marchand said. "When you look at a team like Montreal, what are they 52, 54%? Versus a team like here or Dallas or whatever. That's a 15% difference. When you add that up, it's a tremendous amount of money.' Of course, money isn't the only motivating factor. Success for Florida, Tampa Bay, Vegas and Dallas directly coincides with Zito, Julien BriseBois, Kelly McCrimmon and Jim Nill being some of the best executives around and knowing how to evaluate talent and manage the cap. Being able to golf in the winter does not hurt either, and some players prefer smaller markets with less pressure. Others are drawn to hockey-crazy places where fans care deeply and hockey is either the top dog or the only game in town. The Edmonton Oilers, in the final for a second consecutive year, are the perfect example of that. 'The passion obviously that this fanbase has for their team is incredible,' said Oilers forward Evander Kane, who has also played in Atlanta, Winnipeg, Buffalo and San Jose. 'Once you actually get here and get to know your way around the city a little bit more, you realize there's actually quite a bit to do and it is a good spot for families and they have great summers.' NHL players get paid in U.S. dollars, even in Canada, taking some of the tax bite out of places like Montreal and Toronto with high tax rates because of the exchange rate. But that can also get cut into based on where guys choose to live. 'It helps while you're there, but also the living costs in Canada are extremely high, too, because you're taxed through the roof on everything: what you buy, what you sell, what you make,' Marchand said. 'So, yes, at the time, the costs are a little bit different but not much, and then when you move back, you have 20, 30% less money, so it absolutely plays a part.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store