Volvo outlines plan to use recycled plastic in its cars

Premium car-maker Volvo Cars has announced its plan to replace at least 25 per cent of all the plastics used in every newly-launched Volvo from 2025 with recycled material.

Through an official statement, Volvo Cars has also urged the auto industry suppliers to work more closely with car-makers to develop next generation components that are as sustainable as possible, especially containing more recycled plastics.

Earlier this week, to demonstrate the viability of this ambition, the company had unveiled a specially-built version of its XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV that looks identical to the existing model, but has had several of its plastic components replaced with equivalents containing recycled materials.

The company release said that the special XC60’s interior has a tunnel console made from renewable fibres and plastics from discarded fishing nets and maritime ropes. On the floor, the carpet contains fibres made from PET plastic bottles and a recycled cotton mix from clothing manufacturers’ offcuts. The seats also use PET fibres from plastic bottles. Used car seats from old Volvo cars were used to create the sound-absorbing material under the car bonnet.

The recycled plastics ambition is the most progressive statement around the use of recycled plastic by any premium automotive manufacturer. Last month, Volvo Cars committed to eradicate single-use plastics across all its premises and events by the end of 2019.

In 2017, the company announced an industry-leading commitment to electrify all new Volvo cars launched after 2019. Last month, Volvo Cars reinforced this strategy by stating that it aims for fully-electric cars to make up 50 per cent of its global sales by 2025.

The company claims that in terms of operations, Volvo Cars aims to have climate-neutral manufacturing operations by 2025. In January this year, the engine plant in Skövde, Sweden, became its first climate-neutral facility.

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