The war on plastic continues: from 2025, Volvo will contain 25% recycled plastics

Sit down, close your eyes and try to remember most of the things you have touched or used today. How many of them were made of plastic in some of their parts or in their entirety? If you reflect on this, it is normal to be surprised by the amount of plastic we use unconsciously and, in addition, you will understand why more and more voices are rising against the use of plastic in our lives.

There are several problems humanity has to deal with now, in the present, and in the future, and among them is the use of plastic. We must become aware that a large number of the things we use in our daily lives, made of plastic, can be dispensed with: such as plastic shopping bags in supermarkets in favour of biodegradable ones, plastic water bottles in favour of glass ones, toothpaste in glass jars instead of plastic tubes, or unnecessary plastic straws (except for people with special needs), among many other solutions.

It is increasingly common to find products that avoid the use of plastic in favour of biodegradable, compostable elements, made of any other type of material, or even using recycled plastic, the latter a very important step to avoid new manufacturing. The car industry is not immune to this problem, since today’s vehicles are also products that, in most cases, make abusive use of plastic.

That is why more and more brands are announcing that their new models will contain ever higher proportions of recycled plastic, a step that is undoubtedly also inevitable if we want to create truly sustainable vehicles, not only in terms of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Volvo, as one of the leading brands in achieving more sustainable vehicles, has presented a prototype of the Volvo XC60 T8 which, although apparently similar to the commercial version, contains numerous elements made from recycled plastics.

The centre console of the Volvo XC60 has been made from fibres and plastics obtained from discarded fishing nets and marine ropes, the floor carpet is made from fibres derived from PET plastic bottles and recycled cotton, which are offcuts of clothing from factories, the seats also use the same fibres from PET plastic bottles and, to create the soundproofing under the bonnet, the brand has used used seats from older Volvo models.

Fortunately, this Volvo XC60 will not remain just a showcase vehicle, but Volvo has the firm intention of continuing the fight against plastic, and to this end it has committed to eradicating single-use plastics from all its events and factories before the end of 2019 and, in addition, from 2025 onwards, all its new vehicles will contain at least 25% recycled plastics.