Yearly, Volvo Automobiles ships tens of 1000’s of containers filled with manufacturing supplies internationally’s oceans on large container ships. These ships, in flip, pump out a staggering quantity of carbon emissions – however a change to renewable fuels may dramatically slash these figures.

“As the primary world automotive maker to announce such a change, we’ll obtain a direct discount in fossil CO2 emissions from intercontinental ocean freight by 55,000 tonnes over a 12 months,” reads Volvo Automobiles’ official press copy, including that the gas used, Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME), relies on sustainable sources like waste cooking oil – and the corporate is fast to level out that no feedstock associated to palm oil or palm oil manufacturing is used.

“Renewable gas shouldn’t be the top recreation for eradicating CO2 from the world’s ocean freight wants,” says Javier Varela, Volvo Automobiles’ Chief Working Officer and Deputy CEO. “But this initiative exhibits that we will act now and implement options that obtain vital outcomes throughout the await long-term technological options.”

Volvo Automobiles hopes to cut back its lifecycle carbon footprint by 40% per automotive within the time interval between 2018 and 2025, which requires a 25% discount within the firm’s operational emissions – which incorporates logistics. So, for Volvo to achieve its 0 carbon purpose, it has to look in every single place.

“We’re regularly exploring sustainability alternatives throughout all facets of our provide chain, and throughout our total enterprise,” Javier Varela continues. “Our checklist of initiatives retains rising as we work in direction of our ambition of turning into a local weather impartial firm by 2040.”

For the document:

Now we have been engaged on this initiative along with our logistics companions Maersk, Kuehne+Nagel and DB Schenker. These logistics service suppliers have from 1 June 2023 switched to renewable gas for equal power wanted for all container transports accomplished for Volvo Automobiles.
 
When renewable gas shouldn’t be obtainable on a selected cargo, our renewable gas allocation is as a substitute utilized by the logistics associate for an additional buyer’s route elsewhere, so the general lower in fossil gas use is stored on par with precise use in container vessels. The methodology, known as mass-balancing, is third-party audited commonly. The renewable gas itself is licensed and never produced in competitors with meals crops. It’s due to this fact sustainable in accordance with the EU Renewable Power Directive.

Supply | Photos: Volvo Automobiles.

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