Volvo Group North America announced it has joined 153 other U.S. companies in support of the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, standing with the Obama Administration to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to climate action and to voice support for a strong outcome to the COP21 Paris climate negotiations.
The American Business Act on Climate Pledge reads as follows:
“We applaud the growing number of countries that have already set ambitious targets for climate action. In this context, we support the conclusion of a climate change agreement in Paris that takes a strong step forward toward a low-carbon, sustainable future. We recognize that delaying action on climate change will be costly in economic and human terms, while accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy will produce multiple benefits with regard to sustainable economic growth, public health, resilience to natural disasters and the health of the global environment.”
“Volvo Group’s vision is to be the leading provider of sustainable transportation solutions, and environmental care has been one of our core values for more than 40 years,” said Susan Alt, senior vice president of public affairs for Volvo Group North America. “Volvo is committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and we encourage other businesses to join us and recognize the importance of reducing their environmental impact.”
In 2010, the Volvo Group joined the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Climate Savers Program and said it exceeded targets during the first commitment period by reducing lifetime CO2-emissions from products by 50 million tons and by more than 20% from production.
Volvo Group North America also participates in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Better Plants Program. By the end of 2014, Volvo Group was one of 11 companies in the program to meet its goal early, reducing energy consumption in eight manufacturing facilities by 26.8 percent compared to a 2009 baseline.
“The Volvo Group is still the only automotive manufacturer in WWF’s Climate Savers program,” the company said. “Through this program and others like it, the Volvo Group pledges to:
- Reduce total lifetime CO2 emissions by a cumulative savings of at least 40 million tons from products sold between 2015 and 2020 compared with 2013 models;
- Improve energy efficiency in production by executing energy-savings activities, reaching a level of 150 GWh by 2020;
- Reduce energy consumption by 25 percent in our North American facilities by 2025 compared with a 2014 baseline;
- Reduce CO2 emissions by 20% per produced unit from Volvo Group freight transport by 2020;
- Explore and pursue opportunities to expand the number of Volvo Group CO2-neutral production facilities around the world, including one in Asia;
- Establish a City Mobility program with at least five cities to develop the most efficient public transportation solutions, including the use of plug-in hybrid and fully electric transit buses; and
- Fulfill its commitment under the U.S. Department of Energy’s SuperTruck program and continue research, development and demonstration of advanced technologies and alternative fuels to accelerate the realization of lower and ultimately zero carbon emissions throughout the transportation and construction sectors.”
