Volvo Trucks Reduces Transport Operations Carbon Footprint by 22 Percent

One of the most challenging targets that Swedish manufacturer Volvo Trucks had to achieve in recent years was to cut its transport-related emissions by 20% before the end of 2010. However, the company has managed to beat that target by a comfortable margin. The emissions of carbon dioxide were reduced by 22 percent, measured as the average number of grams of carbon dioxide per ton per kilometer.

This saw Volvo Trucks and Volvo Logistics set haulage firms the task of reducing their emissions from transport operation to Volvo Trucks' production plants by 20% before the end of 2010. But as said, carbon dioxide emissions from Volvo Trucks' transport operations shrank by 22% compared to 2006.

Among the changes that delivered these results are increased training for truck drivers in economical driving, more modern truck engines that use less fuel and release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and more efficient use of cargo capacity. In addition, the company has made increased use of sea and train freight.

"There is no one single solution when it comes to cutting carbon dioxide emissions in an effective way. Rather, it's all about a range of measures. It is necessary to optimise every link the chain - every little bit counts," stated Lars Martensson, Director Environmental Affairs at Volvo Trucks. "We're really only at the start of our work in this area. When it comes to climate-impacting emissions, a lot remains to be done in the transport industry," he concludes.

"This is a good example which shows how you can achieve sizeable benefits by working with environmental issues in a cohesive and organised way," said Staffan Jufors, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks. "We are proud to have achieved such a positive result by adopting a range of both large and small measures throughout the entire transport chain to and from our factories."