David Thomas, managing director of Volvo Ireland, says…

1. Why is reducing carbon footprint so important for Volvo?

It’s important for all us! It’s critical we all take steps to reduce our carbon footprint and Volvo were the first car company to acknowledge (in 1974) the impact that the manufacture and use of vehicles has on the environment.

2. What kind of changes did you have to make to go about it?

We have long focused on ensuring that our production facilities operate to the greatest environmental efficiency as well as a historic focus on tailpipe emissions. From our first plug-in hybrid in 2012 to introducing that solution across our whole model range and our first fully electric vehicle in serial production, the XC40 BEV.

We also look for ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our commercial operations through clean technology, limiting waste and eliminating single use plastics. Trying to reduce business travel wherever possible is also key.

3. What kind of things will Volvo need to achieve in order to be climate neutral by 2040? 

We will continue to set clear targets: 50% of our sales to be pure electric by 2025, a 40% reduction in lifecycle carbon footprint compared to 2018 by the same year. 

4. Over the next five years, you’ve promised to only release electric vehicles. What do you hope is going to be the impact of that?

We can have a rapid impact on reducing tailpipe emissions by increasing our electric vehicle share. As countries also migrate to cleaner energy sources, our cars will be able to accelerate the benefits to the environment.

5. Some 25% of all plastics used in new Volvo cars after 2025 will be recycled plastic, what’s the process like for sourcing that?

It’s a requirement that we put on our suppliers that the can support these objectives. We must ensure that our suppliers share our environmental values and use their innovative capacity to deliver and push beyond this target.

6. How will you try to reward drivers to use pure electric mode?

We will pay for a year’s electricity for any of our plug in cars ordered from October 16 this year. We have an app that will be able to measure and inform the customer about how much they are using the pure electric mode of their car and how many KW/hour they are using to charge. As well as the financial benefit, I believe that customers will have fun monitoring and trying to improve their performance.