Three more Volvo CE sites achieve landfill-free status
Belley in France and Shanghai and Jinan in China now diverting all waste away from landfill
VOLVO Construction Equipment have announced another major advancement in their sustainability journey, with three additional facilities achieving landfill-free status. Ongoing efforts mean there is also less than 1% landfill waste across all other sites.
This achievement underscores Volvo CE’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices. The sites in Belley, France, and Shanghai and Jinan in China are diverting all waste from landfill – through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. Volvo CE’s aim is for all their sites to achieve landfill-free status by the end of 2025 by addressing the final 0.23% of waste currently sent to landfill.
Volvo CE’s sites in Shanghai and Belley, which produce crawler excavators and compact excavators respectively, and the Jinan Technology Centre join facilities in Changwon, Korea, Pederneiras in Brazil, Shippensburg in the US, and Hallsberg and Braås in Sweden, in reaching this milestone.
Certification has been awarded following a comprehensive audit by the Volvo Group Environmental Co-ordination Group. The certificate not only demands that no waste ends up in landfill, but also requires full management of all material waste streams and emphasizes ongoing improvements in line with the waste hierarchy principles. Volvo CE say achieving zero waste to landfill is a critical step towards the company meeting its goal of net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 as part of its Science Based Targets initiative.
Niklas Nillroth, head of sustainability at Volvo CE, said: ‘Across our sites, we are continuing to improve and transform our operations, making them more efficient and sustainable and reducing our carbon footprint. Our target is to ensure all sites achieve landfill-free status by the end of 2025, addressing the final 0.23% of waste still sent to landfill. This milestone exemplifies our dedication to lead by example. We share our progress to inspire others to join us and cultivate innovative solutions for a more sustainable future.’
Each site faces its own unique set of challenges in waste management, but they are united by a shared commitment to minimize waste from the outset and champion the transition to a circular economy. Initiatives include collaborating with suppliers to eliminate unnecessary packaging, reusing and repurposing materials – such as converting plant and food waste into organic farming inputs or using waste for heating – and extracting maximum benefit from products before they become waste.
Data plays a crucial role as an enabler for change, providing insights that help refine and enhance waste-management practises. Comprehensive waste separation systems at every site ensure that as much waste as possible is recycled. Across Volvo CE, 85% of waste is recycled. Waste is separated, sorted, collected, classified, and weighed before being transported to waste contractors for recycling or disposal.
Key to success across the sites is the active engagement and rewarding of employees, which Volvo CE say lays a strong foundation for continuous improvement and innovation. Equally vital is the involvement of suppliers, as Volvo CE recognize that meaningful transformation cannot occur when working ‘in silo’. By fostering collaborative partnerships, the company is helping to drive a collective effort towards sustainability that extends beyond its own operations.
