Volvo launches plan to reduce lifecycle carbon footprint

17 October 2019

Volvo Cars has launched a plan to reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint by 40% between 2018 and 2025, as it furthers its ambition of being a climate-neutral company by 2040.

The carmaker’s 2040 ambitions go beyond addressing tailpipe emissions through all-out electrification, an area in which the company is at the forefront. It will also tackle carbon emissions in its manufacturing network, its wider operations, its supply chain and through recycling and reuse of materials.

The plan represents concrete actions in line with the global Paris climate agreement of 2015, which seeks to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Measures

′We are transforming our company through concrete actions, not symbolic pledges,’ said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive. ′So at Volvo Cars, we will address what we control, which is both our operations and the tailpipe emissions of our cars. And we will address what we can influence, by calling on our suppliers and the energy sector to join us in aiming for a climate-neutral future.’

To realise the significant 40% reduction of its CO2 footprint per car by 2025, the company has devised a number of ambitions for different parts of its operations. The previously communicated goal of generating 50% of global sales from fully electric cars by 2025 is a prominent one, which would result in a 50% reduction in tailpipe carbon emissions per car between 2018 and 2025.

Other short-term ambitions include a 25% reduction of CO2 emissions related to its global supply chain by 2025, a 25% share of recycled plastics in new Volvo cars by 2025 and a 25% reduction of carbon emissions generated by the company’s overall operations, including manufacturing and logistics.

Electric future

The announcement of the plan comes as Volvo launches its first battery-electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge. Starting with this model, the carmaker will disclose the average lifecycle carbon footprint of each new model.

′The XC40 Recharge is the first car in Volvo Cars’ new Recharge car line. Recharge will be the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Recharge car line aims to further boost sales of Volvo Cars’ electrified cars and encourage plug-in hybrid drivers via incentives to use Pure mode as much as possible,’ the company said in its statement.

The Swedish manufacturer was the first conventional carmaker to commit to all-out electrification and phasing out cars powered only by an internal combustion engine. As of this year, every new Volvo launched will be electrified.