The first graph indicates how much Volvo Cars has reduced solvent emissions. The second graph indicates how how much of the production material is utilised in the chosen Volvo model - the rest goes to recycling or waste. The third graph indicates how much lower the energy consumption is when producing this Volvo car compared to a competitor.
Production
Volvo Cars has reduced the environmental impact of its production plants significantly over the last fourty years. An example is provided by the problem of solvent emissions, a key environmental issue in the automotive industry.
Emissions of solvents from Volvo Cars Torslanda plant in Sweden have been reduced by over 95% since the 1970s. Built in 1991, the paint shop at Torslanda still has one of the lowest solvent emission levels in the industry, thanks to usage of water borne paints and world class abatement technique.
Our analysis indicates that the greater proportion of the environmental impact of car production is due to solvent emissions, energy consumption and materials utilisation. These, therefore, are the indicators chosen in this area.
Solvent Emissions Must Be Reduced
The emission of solvents from car production plants has been a central environmental issue over the last thirty years. As the main source of hazardous emissions in the automotive industry, solvents affect both human health and the environment. The inhalation of large quantities of solvents can affect the central nervous system, while hydrocarbons can also combine with nitrogen oxides to generate harmful ground-level (tropospheric) ozone in the presence of sunlight.
The Volvo S80, XC90 and XC70 are produced at the Volvo Cars' Torslanda plant in Sweden, while the Volvo S60, the new Volvo S40 and V50 are produced at the company's plant in Ghent in Belgium. The Volvo V70 is produced in both Torslanda and Ghent, while the Volvo C70 is produced in Uddevalla, Sweden. The earlier Volvo S40 and V40 were built at the NedCar plant at Born in the Netherlands.
The figures for total solvent emissions from the production and painting of car bodies in these plants are estimated¹ .
Best and Worst Cases
In environmental terms, the best case is represented by the complete elimination of solvent emissions, which are due mainly to painting with solvent-borne paints and cleaning with solvent-based agents. In practice, this means applying all coats of paint to the body by the dry-powder method and cleaning without solvents. This, therefore, is defined as the best case. If no action were taken to reduce solvent emissions, these would total 30 kg per car (automotive industry figure from the early 1970s.). This is accordingly defined as the worst case figure and will henceforth be used as a reference value.
Reducing Environmental Impact in the Long Term
Apart from depleting natural resources, the extraction of raw materials has an impact on the environment in the form of mining, processing and transportation activities. For this reason, it is important to use the materials extracted as efficiently as possible and to increase the proportion of recycled waste. In the automotive industry, this can be done by improving the efficiency of the manufacturing processes, and by reusing and recycling waste materials. The quantity of waste material is measured in all plants and is related to the average weight of the finished car.
Steady Increase in Recycling Knowhow
Thorough sorting is an essential element of materials recycling. The use of reusable packaging has increased.
Best and Worst Cases
In environmental terms, the best case is when all of the material is used; in other words, when there is no waste whatever. The worst case is defined as a hypothetical situation in which none of the material entering the production facility is used in the product. In other words, all of the material is classified as waste.
All Energy Consumption Has Environmental Impact
Energy consumption is essential to car production. At the same time, both energy production and consumption have a major impact on the environment, and consumption must, therefore, be minimized. The nature and extent of the environmental impact are determined by the energy source. Energy consumption per car is measured regularly in all plants and is the indicator used in this case¹ .
Best and Worst Cases
The best case is a hypothetical situation in which no energy whatever is used. In other words, the energy consumption per car is 0 MJ (0 MWh). The worst case is represented by an energy consumption of 18,000 MJ (5 MWh) per car (reference figure based on competitors' production).
¹ Figures for 2006 are values measured on 31st December 2005. Corresponding figures for 2005 were measured on 31st December 2004 and the figures for 2004 on 31st December 2003.