P R E S S R E L E A S E
EUROMAP, the umbrella organisation for the European plastics and rubber machinery industry, has published energy measurement standards for injection moulding and extrusion blow moulding machines. These are now supplemented by a common neutral label in order to make the determined energy efficiency classes transparent, enabling customers to make comparisons.
This is why EUROMAP asked LEGO as well-known plastic processor to outline the company’s view on energy efficiency.
A promise to the planet
Frankfurt, October 13, 2014: Interview with John Hansen Senior Vice President
Engineering & Quality at the headquarters of the international modular plastic toy system producer LEGO in Billund, Denmark.
EUROMAP: LEGO is known for its claim to produce in a sustainable way. Energy efficiency plays an important role here. Can you name an example of a LEGO product in which energyefficient production plays a special role?
Hansen: In our entire manufacturing process, including the injection moulding area, energy efficiency has been a focus point throughout the past 10-15 years and, in close cooperation with our suppliers, we have succeeded in decreasing the energy consumption of our moulding machines and other moulding equipment significantly. In general we have increased our energy efficiency with more than 30% in the last 5 years.
We have saved energy not just with the injection moulding machinery, but also with drying and other ancillary equipment, such as the conveyors that bring plastic granulate from storage silos to the injection moulding machines. And we have reduced energy after moulding too, with the granulators used to grind up the injection sprues.
This also means that energy efficient production technology plays a special role in every single
LEGO product. Let me explain why. We produce more than 55 billion plastic modular bricks a year and we focus on where we can make the biggest positive impact and that is on reducing the energy needed to manufacture each single brick.
EUROMAP General Secretariat c/o VDMA • FV KuG
Lyoner Str. 18
DE 60528 Frankfurt am Main
Phone + 49 (69) 6603-1832
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E-Mail: euromap@vdma.org

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In terms of moulding machines, it has been servo-hydraulic machines and electric drive machines that have brought us there, together with the equipment around the moulding machines, i.e. the grinders, i.e. the material handling and it has been done in very close collaboration between LEGO Group and the different suppliers of that machinery and equipment.
EUROMAP: So which categories of injection moulding machines are used at LEGO?
Hansen: We have several different moulding machines at the LEGO Group, but mainly divided into three types. We have the classic hydraulic machines; we have the servo-hydraulic machines and finally, we have fully electric drive machines. So those are the three types of machines we have today.
We want to run an efficient moulding facility, and as such we need to have all these types of machines as contributors to that in play, and at the same time. This can be a challenge, to be honest, but nevertheless, it’s worth it.
EUROMAP: When Ole Kirk Kristiansen founded LEGO in 1932, he maintai ned that “only the best is good enough” (det bedste er ikke for godt). Does this original principle also apply today to plastics processing machinery used by LEGO at its worldwide production locations, also in terms of energy efficiency?
Hansen: “ Only the best is good enough” is a fundamental principle that is embedded in our culture and applies today as it did then. It is how we feel about our most important stakeholder: children – and it is what we aim for in any aspect of our business. When installing new equipment, we always try to find the best solutions and obviously that includes energy efficiency, as it is good not only for the business, but also we have committed ourselves as a business to a
Planet Promise – where improving energy efficiency is only one objective of many.
With regard to injection moulding machines, just to give one example, our interest in sustainability means that we invest exclusively in energy-efficient machines and that also applies to all other the machinery in which we invest.
EUROMAP: As a user in worldwide production locations can you say in what way you ensure use of energy efficient machinery and equipment?
Hansen: We set high standards for ourselves and operate from defined platforms, global specifications and global procurement of our machinery and equipment. This way we ensure that all machinery lives up to our newest standards. Our Planet Promise is an integrated parameter in

- 3 - the decision process when making changes and investing in machinery and equipment. We have really good and strong collaboration with all plastics processing machinery and equipment suppliers and that also includes the European suppliers, of course, whom I believe are moving the needle a lot [making a very noticeable difference] here.
EUROMAP: It has been difficult until now to assess how energy efficient a machine really is in specific applications, compared to other machines. This has also been established by producers of plastics and rubber machinery and they have therefore developed energy measurement standards at European level under the umbrella of EUROMAP. Based on these standards, there will be a corresponding energy efficiency label as from October 2014. What do you think of this initiative?
Hansen: Again, we have with our Planet Promise in mind, the shared responsibility that all of us should leave this world in a healthy condition for our children, the next generation, in fact in a better way than it is today.
We therefore welcome an initiative like this. We have for years been asking for a standardised method and are looking forward to this. It fits well with our having adopted the principles of sustainable energy management according to the ISO 14001 standard.
EUROMAP: You have talked a lot about LEGO’s Planet Promise commitment in terms of production efficiency. Can you give other examples where Planet Promise principles are applied?
Hansen: Yes, we have for example close collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund [WWF], having joined the WWF Climate Savers Programme in November 2013. So we do a lot of different things in such areas. For example our parent company KIRKBI A/S has invested in a large windmill park in the sea off the German Western coast on behalf of the LEGO Group, enabling us to deliver on a 2020 ambition of contribution with more renewable energy than we use. These are just two from many examples.
About EUROMAP
EUROMAP, the umbrella organisation for the European plastics and rubber machinery industry, represents around 40 percent of worldwide production, amounting to a value of over € 29 bn and accounting for around 50% of export volume, which in turn amounts to more than € 19 bn. This important industry is made up of around 1,000 companies. Member associations are located in
Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

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Captions :
Image 1: John Hansen
Image 2: EUROMAP Energy Efficiency Label
For queries please contact:
Thorsten Kühmann, Secretary General of EUROMAP
Phone: +49 69 6603-1831, E-Mail: Thorsten.kuehmann@vdma.org
Further information about EUROMAP: www.euromap.org