“Our oceans are in distress
One garbage truck of plastic enters the world’s oceans every minute, and more than half of Sydney’s shoreline is artificial. Rich, vibrant habitats have been replaced with seawalls and degraded by plastic pollution.
The Volvo Ocean Race has been hosting beach clean-ups all over the world to help combat plastic pollution. But while they’re important, beach clean-ups alone aren’t enough to save our oceans.
There’s so much plastic in the ocean that scientists say it’s simply not feasible to remove it all. Tearing down seawalls isn’t viable either. Solving environmental issues requires modern, divergent thinking.
That’s why we’ve partnered with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and Reef Design Lab to create the Living Seawall.
Divergent thinking
Designed to mimic the root structure of native mangrove trees, the Living Seawall adds complexity to the existing seawall structure and provides a habitat for marine life. This aids biodiversity and attracts filter-feding organisms that actually absorb and filter out pollutants – such as particulate matter and heavy metals – keeping the water ‘clean’. The more organisms we have, the cleaner the water.
Our commitment to sustainability
There’s a Swedish word, omtanke, that means ‘caring’ and ‘consideration’.
That’s what the Living Seawall is all about.
Volvo is commited to building a sustainable future with projects like the Living Seawall and beach clean-ups, but our sustainability programme doesn’t end there.
By the end of 2019, Volvo Cars will remove single-use plastics from all its offices, canteens and events across the globe. This will replace over 20 million single-use plastics with sustainable alternatives.
We’ve also commited to electrification, with a goal of putting 1 million electric cars on the road by 2025, and to fostering productive partnerships. Volvo Cars is an active supporter of the UN Environment’s Clean Seas campaign and a founding member of the UN Global Compact.
This radical and divergent style of thinking isn’t just what we do. It’s part of who we are.
Supporting research
Sales of the V90 Cross Country Volvo Ocean Race car fund the Race’s innovative Science Programme, which uses sensors on the boats to measure levels of ocean microplastics. This information helps us understand the health of our oceans.
Smarter, recoverable cars
When we design our cars, we think deeply about how they impact the environment - and how we can reduce that impact. The textile interior mats of the XC40 area made from recycled plastic bottles, and we recycle and remanufacture just about all Volvo cars.
Sustainable operations
By 2025, we aim to put 1 million electrified cars on the road and achieve ‘carbon neutral’ manufacturing operations. This global commitment will be achieved by securing climate neutral energy supplies, and through energy efficiency initiatives.”