Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar H E Anders Bengtcén; Chairman of Friends of Nature, Dr. Saif Ali Al Hajari and Domasco Volvo Managing Director, Jonathan Pollock during the event at Volvo Showroom.
Doha: Volvo cars recently hosted a panel discussion with a central theme of sustainability at its showroom.
The event was conducted in association with ‘Big B Meet Up’ that was started by ‘Big B Fotografi’ founder Bosco Menezes. For Volvo cars, sustainability is as important as safety. Volvo cars aims to be a climate neutral company by 2040.
The event was attended Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, H E Anders Bengtcén; Chairman of Friends of Nature, Dr. Saif Ali Al Hajari and Domasco Volvo Managing Director, Jonathan Pollock.
They shared their thoughts on sustainability, its importance in Qatar and how their organisations are driving sustainability in Qatar through their own initiatives and through collaboration with various other organisations.
The event was attended by also a number of sustainability enthusiasts and environmentalists. It was live streamed on BigBMeetUp virtual channels for the general public to view.
Speaking at the event, Domasco Volvo Managing Director, Jonathan Pollock said, “Volvo cars has always been known for safety, however, for Volvo sustainability is as important as safety. As an automotive manufacturer, Volvo has recognised that indeed they need to be part of the solution to global warming, not part of the problem.”
He said that Volvo is looking to make a meaningful contribution to global efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees to avoid significant harm to the planet and society. “With Volvo’s long-term visions and short-term ambitions, they have made it clear that carbon reduction will be a top priority for them as a company, as well as those who work with them.
Participants during a panel discussion at Volvo Showroom.
"They pledge to be fully transparent about the progress made in this regard. Volvo cars is currently working on reducing its CO2 footprint, its aiming to become a circular business, developing second life applications for electric vehicle batteries and producing sustainable batteries,” said Pollock.
Hosting the 'Big B Meet Up' on Sustainability helps drive this key message for Volvo cars. 'Big B Meet Up' is a community Initiative founded in Qatar in 2018 by Bosco Menezes, a photographer, artist & social activist. The mission statement of #bigbmeetup is To Inspire, To Inform, To Educate and to bring diverse communities together. The four themes that #bigbmeetup addresses are: Sports & Wellness, This Ability - Championing people who are differently abled, Celebrating Artists and Estedaama (Sustainability).
The event brought together noted & practicing sustainability champions and environmentalists that discussed the challenges confronting sustainable practices during panel discussion. They spoke about their personal experiences and accomplishments in leading a more sustainable life. The four panellists included CEO of Enbat Holdings & owner of the first vegan restaurant in Qatar, Evergreen Organics, Ghanim Al Sulaiti; a prominent environmentalist and the founder of Greener Future who promotes various environmental programs in Qatar, Aisha Al Maadeed; a Qatari Wellness Advocate and fitness instructor, Reem Al Muftah and a renowned architect & an integral part of the Environment Action Protection Group in Qatar, Dr. Ferhan Sakal.
Volvo cars has been driving Sustainability across its value chain. Its timing as well as the scope of its strategy is very ambitious.
In addition to their long-term ambition to be climate neutral by 2040 they have several short-term targets to immediately reduce their CO2 footprint per car by 40 per cent by 2025.
These reductions also consider their entire operations addressing CO2 emission across the value chain. Long-term visions, as well as detailed short-term ambitions, include 50 percent reduction in fleet tailpipe carbon emissions, 25 percent reduction per car in supply chain carbon emissions, 25 percent reduction per car in operational carbon emissions, including from manufacturing and logistics.
Volvo Cars also aims for annual savings of SEK 1 billion (QR 400 M) and reductions of 2.5 million tonnes in carbon emissions from 2025 using circular business principles.
Supporting the company’s long-term goal of becoming a circular business by 2040, Volvo Cars will create closed material loops for emission-heavy materials such as steel and aluminium, as well as remanufacture, repair, reuse and refurbish parts.
Already now, Volvo Cars remanufactures parts such as gearboxes and engines to make better use of material and reduce emissions. In 2020, around 40,000 parts were remanufactured, saving nearly 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. By 2025, Volvo Cars aims to more than double its remanufacturing business.
To ensure that valuable material can be kept in circulation, the company recycled 95 per cent of its production waste last year. This included 176,000 tonnes of steel, avoiding the generation of nearly 640,000 tonnes of CO2.
