The LEGO Group today announced its partnership with Climate Impact Partners, experts in the voluntary carbon market for more than 25 years, to support the reforestation of one million acres of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley in the USA. The initiative is part of the LEGO Group’s commitment to supporting a range of climate solutions and delivering positive environmental impact beyond its own value chain.
Support of the reforestation project, developed by the GreenTrees platform, forms one part of the LEGO Group’s 19 million DKK commitment across four carbon removal projects. KIRKBI, the family-owned holding and investment company behind the LEGO® brand, has also supported the project.
The project aims to restore the crucial ecosystem of the Mississippi Valley - an area in the southeast U.S spanning over 9.7 million hectares (more than 24 million acres). The region has seen a dramatic reduction in forest cover as a result of sustained deforestation and agricultural land use conversion.
In addition to delivering more than 500,000 tonnes of emissions removals, on average, annually since 2009, the project provides numerous environmental and social benefits, including:
- Enhanced Flood Protection: Helping protect against hurricanes, flood damage, and soil and nutrient run-off.
- Biodiversity Conservation: Restoring vital ecosystems to build nature’s resilience and provide habitats for numerous plant and animal species, particularly migratory birds.
- Improved water quality: Reducing nitrogen and phosphorous run off from agricultural land use into the Mississippi River, creating a habitable environment for aquatic life.
- Economic Benefits: Generating jobs and creating new income sources for local communities.
Annette Stube, Chief Sustainability Officer at the LEGO Group, said: "We are proud to support these climate initiatives which we believe will have a positive impact on the wider environmental ecosystem. Innovative, high-quality carbon removal projects and emerging technologies have the potential to play an important role in supporting a more sustainable future, while reforestation has the potential to support improved biodiversity. These partnerships allow us to build our understanding of new technologies and practices to support a healthy planet for future generations.”
Sheri Hickok, CEO at Climate Impact Partners, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the LEGO Group on its climate action ambitions, helping to turn them to tangible impact. This is a leading example of how the private sector can drive real effect – taking steps to reduce value chain emissions and simultaneously channelling finance to solutions, like reforestation, that deliver beyond value chain impact.”
Chandler Van Voorhis, Co-Founder of the GreenTrees platform added: “GreenTrees is proud to take part in this important initiative with Climate Impact Partners and its partner, the LEGO Group. Their commitment to supporting small-to-medium-sized landowners and those impacted by deforestation will make a tangible difference in affected communities."
Notes to editors:
About Climate Impact Partners
Climate Impact Partners is a leader in developing and delivering high-quality, high-impact carbon market solutions for climate action. For more than 25 years, the company has worked with climate-leading businesses to support more than 600 carbon removal and reduction projects in 56 countries. With a focus on helping to transform the global economy, improve health and livelihoods and restore a thriving planet, Climate Impact Partners develops and delivers the highest quality carbon-financed projects. It creates and manages carbon credit and energy attribute certificate portfolios that enable its clients to offset emissions they can’t yet reduce, put a price on carbon to incentivize change, and meet ambitious climate goals. Climate Impact Partners builds on the expertise, integrity, and innovation of two companies that have led the voluntary carbon market since its inception – Natural Capital Partners and ClimateCare. Learn more atwww.climateimpact.com
About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine.
The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”.
Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide.
For more information: www.LEGO.com.
About KIRKBI
KIRKBI is the holding company of the LEGO Group and other companies owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family. With a purpose of building a better future for all children, KIRKBI is committed to reinvesting future proceeds from the LEGO Group and other holdings into building businesses within three business areas: LEGO Holding, KIRKBI Education, and KIRKBI Climate. Rooted in the values and principles that have guided the LEGO® brand for generations, KIRKBI actively engages in its businesses with the long-term perspective needed to make a lasting difference.
About GreenTrees
Founded in 2003, the GreenTrees platform is a market leader in reforestation and carbon removal in the U.S., with more than 7.8 million metric tons of carbon removed from the atmosphere and credited via the rigorous American Carbon Registry verification process. To date, GreenTrees and its 800+ landowner partners have planted more than 50 million trees, primarily in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The GreenTrees platform is wholly owned by ACRE Investment Management LLC, Plains, Va. For more information, please visit https://www.green-trees.com/.
This is a leading example of how the private sector can drive real effect – taking steps to reduce value chain emissions and simultaneously channelling finance to solutions, like reforestation, that deliver beyond value chain impact.
