VOLVO has announced it has become the first manufacturer to deliver a construction machine built using fossil-free steel to a customer.
The A30G articulated hauler was handed over by Volvo Construction Equipment president Melker Jernberg to customer NCC at a ceremony hosted by LeadIt – the Leadership Group for Industry Transition – in conjunction with the United Nations environmental meeting Stockholm +50. It was attended by John Kerry, US special presidential envoy to climate and Annika Strandhäll, Swedish minister for climate.
The move comes nine months after Volvo unveiled a vehicle concept using fossil-free steel, as part of the testing of the implementation in an ordinary production setup.
Volvo added that while commercial introduction is expected to be ‘gradual with selected customers’, this first hand over marks an important milestone. The A30G is produced at Volvo’s Braås facility in Sweden, using the existing manufacturing process, with fossil-free steel from Swedish steel company SSAB.
Melker Jernberg said, “We are sure that to succeed in decarbonising the construction industry, actors in the value chain will need to collaborate and act. Thanks to our strong partnerships with other driven and forward-thinking companies, we are now able to lead the change towards fossil-free construction and be the first to deliver a machine built using fossil-free steel to a customer. Turning commitments into actions is key to building the world we want to live in.”
Tomas Carlsson, CEO and president of NCC, added, “NCC has a firm commitment to contribute to sustainable development. We are working determinedly and systematically to reach that target, which includes selecting machines that live up to our high demands. As demonstrated in this great example, it takes strong and proactive partnerships between several players to make the sustainable shift possible.”
