VOLVO AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Almost 40 years ago, in June of 1972, the Volvo Group formulated its first environmental declaration! At that time our Group's environmental approach was considered controversial. Today, it is a given!

The US Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, has just established that greenhouse gases threaten the health of human beings and that US greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced.


The Volvo Group has been a leader in this field and is the first manufacturer of commercial vehicles to introduce newly developed technologies, which meet the environmental needs of society and offer our customers a wide range of products with better, more efficient performance.

Our aim is to continue to improve diesel technology and create more efficiency and savings for our customers. During the last 30 years, by increasing the efficiency of our diesel engines, we have successfully reduced fuel consumption and thereby, CO2 emissions by 35%. We have also reduced emissions of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) as well as Particulate Matter (PM), to almost 0%, with the use of such technologies as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), which meets the US10 emissions regulations, and also decreases fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 5%.

The Volvo Group’s main environmental challenge is to further reduce carbon emissions and we have achieved this goal through proven technologies. The Volvo Group was the first to develop CO2-neutral, heavy-duty Volvo and Mack trucks, as demonstrated at the 2008 Washington International Reusable Energy Conference (WIREC), where we displayed seven different trucks that run on seven different renewable fuels. At WIREC, we were honored by a visit from then-President George W. Bush, who stopped by our booth for a tour.

In addition, our hybrid technology can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20-30% and it has been developed, in house, for trucks, buses, and earthmoving equipment. The US Air Force is already testing several Mack Hybrid trucks in its various locations. These trucks were displayed at the 2010 Renewable Energy Technology Conference & Exhibition (RETECH) in Washington D.C. two weeks ago. The New York City Sanitation Department is also testing a Mack Hybrid Refuse Truck, which was recently featured on CNN, during an interview with our CEO, Leif Johansson. And, in Europe, we have already sold hybrid buses to end customers.

This is a win-win situation for all involved. The obvious benefit for society is a better environment! And we will continue to break new ground, create value for our customers, and generate new business opportunities with improved profitability. This is good for our shareholders and our employees.

Let's get America rolling again...in an efficient and environmentally adapted way!