Volvo announces its first ’climate-neutral’ car factory

Volvo is actively trying to make itself a greener car company, not just in tems of the cars it sells, but also in how they're produced. It has been making its plants less carbon intensive for over a decade. Last year, Volvo announced it would electrify all models in some form or another from 2019 onward. Now, the Chinese-owned Swedish automaker says it has its first "climate-neutral" manufacturing facility.

Volvo's engine factory in Skövde, Sweden, switched to renewable heating at the start of 2018. It's a first step toward the company's goal of completely climate-neutral manufacturing globally by 2025. Heat for the plant comes from waste incineration, biomass and recycled biofuels. The Skövde facility already gets its electricity from renewable sources, as does that of its other European plants.

"Improving energy efficiency is our first priority and then, for the energy we need to use, we aim for supplies generated from renewable sources," said Javier Varela, senior vice president of manufacturing and logistics at Volvo Cars. "The Skövde plant achievement is an important addition to our broader efforts in minimizing our environmental footprint."

Volvo works with other suppliers to reduce its carbon footprint, and has cut carbon emissions by 40 percent at its factory in Ghent, Belgium, for example. "We will continue to work actively with our energy suppliers in all regions to secure further access to renewable energy for our manufacturing plants," said Varela.

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