Volvo commits to speed up progress of zero carbon transport

The Volvo Group will shift its focus to reducing CO2 emissions throughout the transport and construction sector, as well as from its own products and production.


The car manufacturer has announced that it will renew its partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of the Climate Savers programme.

Volvo president and chief executive Olof Persson said: “Our commitment to WWF will generate concrete progress, and demonstrates that we are serious about our emission reduction efforts that harmonise with our vision of sustainable and zero emission transportation in the future.

“Climate Savers imposes very high demand on the Volvo Group, and we are proud to be able to continue the cooperation.”

Volvo’s commitment includes:

– Reducing CO2 emissions from products and production by at least 40 million tonnes by 2020 compared with 2013.

– Developing a truck prototype with significantly lower fuel consumption compared with an equivalent truck today.

– Developing and demonstrating new prototypes expected to be at least 30% more efficient than standard 2013 models.

– Starting up the City Mobility concept in at least five cities to find the most energy efficient public transport solution. 

– Helping 10 selected suppliers improve their energy efficiency. 

– Hosting the Construction Climate Challenge (CCC) which promotes the sharing of knowledge between construction industry representatives, academics and politicians and provides funding for new research and development projects.

Ambitious targets

WWF International director general Marco Lambertini said: “The transport sector has a very large impact on the climate. As part of a broader strategy to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, voluntary initiatives from businesses are very important.

“The Volvo Group’s commitments are a good example of how the transport sector can and should bring down its emissions across the value chain, with potential to change the future of transportation and construction. I welcome Volvo’s commitment and encourage them to continue progressing towards ever more ambitious targets, and I hope their efforts will also encourage others to follow suit.”

Volvo has already started to meet its objectives. In January, Volvo Construction Equipment’s Braås facility in Sweden achieved carbon neutral status, largely due to its use of renewable energy.

In September, edie reported on the unveiling of Volvo’s 7900 Electric Hybrid range of buses to help European cities slash public transport fuel emissions and reduce air pollution.

Lois Vallely

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