As the title reads, at least 25% per cent of the plastics used in every new Volvo car will be made from recycled material by the year 2025.
To demonstrate this possibility, Volvo unveiled a specially-built XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid that’s identical to the existing model but with several plastic components replaced with those made of recycled materials.
“Volvo Cars is committed to minimising its global environmental footprint. Environmental care is one of Volvo’s core values and we will continue to find new ways to bring this into our business,” said President and CEO of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson.
In the specially-built XC60, its tunnel console is made from renewable fibres and plastics from discarded fishing nets and maritime ropes. On the floor, the carpet contains fibres made from PET plastic bottles and a recycled cotton mix from clothing manufacturer’s offcuts.
The seats also use PET fibres from plastic bottles. Used car seats from old Volvo cars were used to create the sound-absorbing material under the car bonnet.
“Volvo’s move to integrate plastic waste into the design of their next fleet of cars sets a new benchmark that we hope others in the car industry will follow. Extensive recycling and reuse of plastic is vital to our efforts to turn the tide on plastic pollution,” said Head of UN Environment, Erik Solheim.
The recycled plastics ambition is the most progressive statement on the use of recycled plastic by any premium automotive manufacturer.
In terms of operations, Volvo Cars aims to have climate-neutral manufacturing operations by 2025. In January this year, the engine plant in Skövde, Sweden became its first climate-neutral facility. An organisation is climate-neutral when it can demonstrate that there are zero CO2 emissions from its operations.
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