The Swedish automaker will remove single-use plastics from all its offices, canteens and events across the globe by the end of 2019, replacing more than 20 million single-use plastic items such as cups, food containers and cutlery with more sustainable alternatives.
Volvo Cars will remove single-use plastics from all its offices, canteens and events across the globe by the end of 2019. The decision reflects the company’s active support of the UN Environment Clean Seas campaign, and underlines its ambition to minimise its global environmental footprint.
The premium car maker will replace more than 20 million single-use plastic items such as cups, food containers and cutlery with more sustainable alternatives, including biodegradable products made of paper, pulp and wood. This equates to the removal of more than 500 plastic items per employee per year.
The switch will be implemented incrementally. By the end of 2018, single-use plastics will be removed from global Volvo events such as car launches, as well as from all offices and restaurants in Volvo Cars facilities in China, Belgium, the United States, Sweden and Malaysia. During 2019, all Volvo Cars national sales companies (NSCs) will eradicate single-use plastics from their operations, including local events.
Volvo Cars estimates that the 2018 roll-out alone will result in the replacement of more than 140 tonnes of single-use plastic items with plastic-free alternatives.
“Plastics pollution is one of the great environmental challenges of our time,” said Stuart Templar, Director for Sustainability at Volvo Cars. “We take our responsibility seriously. We must play our part in helping tackle this global problem.”
Volvo Cars is committed to reducing the environmental impact of both its products and operations. In 2017, the company announced an industry-leading commitment to electrify all new Volvo cars launched after 2019. Last month, Volvo Cars reinforced this strategy by stating that it aims for fully electric cars to make up 50 percent of its global sales by 2025. 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.
The Swedish automaker will remove single-use plastics from all its offices, canteens and events across the globe by the end of 2019, replacing more than 20 million single-use plastic items such as cups, food containers and cutlery with more sustainable alternatives.
