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

“As the primary world automobile 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), is predicated on sustainable sources like waste cooking oil – and the company is quick to point out that no feedstock related to palm oil or palm oil production is used.

“Renewable gas will not 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 are able to act now and implement options that obtain important outcomes in the course of the await long-term technological options.”

Volvo Automobiles hopes to cut back its lifecycle carbon footprint by 40% per automobile 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 goal, it has to look everywhere.

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

For the report:

We now 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 vitality wanted for all container transports accomplished for Volvo Automobiles.
 
When renewable gas will not be out there on a particular cargo, our renewable gas allocation is as an alternative utilized by the logistics accomplice for an additional buyer’s route elsewhere, so the general reduce in fossil gas use is saved on par with precise use in container vessels. The methodology, referred to as mass-balancing, is third-party audited commonly. The renewable gas itself is licensed and never produced in competitors with meals crops. It’s subsequently sustainable in accordance with the EU Renewable Vitality Directive.

Supply | Photographs: Volvo Cars.

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