Volvo support FSC
Well-known for its commitment to car safety, Swedish car maker Volvo is also focused on other aspects of responsible car production.
For example, the company has decided to demand FSC-labelling on all of the car manuals that are delivered to customers together with the cars.
The total volume of FSC-certified paper that is expected to be used for these books amounts to more than 250 tonnes per year.
Why volvo chose fsc labeling
When producing its newest model, XC60, Volvo focused on several environmental aspects of car production. Besides the obvious issue of fuel needs, one of the challenges faced by the developing team was to ensure that at least 16 kg out of the car's total weight would consist of recycled material.
Following this approach, Volvo's Department for Owners Information decided that even the owner's manuals for the cars should be made from recycled material. Volvo initiated a dialogue with the FSC-certified printing company Elanders.
After having explored various options, Volvo decided to go for the FSC label. The company indicates that it chose the FSC label because it supports responsible use of the world's forests and it is widely recognized internationally. Since the owner's manuals are translated into 27 different languages this was important.
Printing house: Eco-labelling is a matter of course
The printing house supplying the printing services for Volvo's instruction books, Elanders Sverige AB, holds an FSC chain of custody certificate issued by the Rainforest Alliance, based on professional evaluations carried out by NEPCon.
“Over the last few years, a lot has happened in the environmental field and ecolabelling of printed matters has become a matter of course”, says Christer Andersson, responsible for ecolabelling at Elanders. “Our customers increasingly demand sustainable printed matters and we always want to be there to find sustainable solutions for their communication, like the Volvo Car manuals, ” Andersson continues.
“Our goal is to be in the front working with environmental issues, and being able to offer FSC-certified products was a natural and necessary step for us. This helps us to stay competitive while assisting our customers to take responsibility”.
ABOUT VOLVO
Headquartered in Sweden, Volvo is a well-known car brand, with a production history of more than 14 million cars sold in over 100 countries around the world. Volvo has a long-term history of commitment to minimizing its environmental imprints, e.g. it was the first car maker to offer its clients full life-cycle documentation for the environmental impact of its cars. The company has set up a ‘drive towards zero’ environmental program embracing the idea of sustainable car production and usage. According to the company, Volvo today offers the widest range of premium cars with a low environmental impact. Learn more at www.volvocars.com
ABOUT ELANDERS
Elanders is a global infomedia and printing group with local presence in ten countries on four continents. As a problem solver for customers when they need to communicate internally or externally, on one or several markets simultaneously, Elanders structures, produces, diversifies and distributes information, locally and globally. Learn more at www.elanders.com
The FSC Chain of Custody certificate registration code of Elanders Sverige AB is SW-COC-001344. Two other companies in the Elanders Group, UK-based Elanders Hindson Ltd and the German company Sommer Corporate Media, also hold FSC chain of custody certificates.
