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Introduction
Environment
14
Volvo and the environment
Volvo is committed to the well being of its cus-
tomers. As a natural part of this commitment,
we care about the environment in which we all
live. Caring for the environment means an
everyday involvement in reducing our environ-
mental impact. Volvo's environmental activities
are based on a holistic view, which means we
consider the overall environmental impact of a
product throughout its complete life cycle. In
this context, design, production, product use,
and recycling are all important considerations.
In production, Volvo has partly or completely
phased out several chemicals including CFCs,
lead chromates, asbestos, and cadmium; and
reduced the number of chemicals used in our
plants 50% since 1991.
Volvo was the first in the world to introduce into
production a three-way catalytic converter with
a Lambda sond, now called the heated oxygen
sensor, in 1976. The current version of this
highly efficient system reduces emissions of
harmful substances (CO, HC, NOx) from the
exhaust pipe by approximately 95 – 99% and
the search to eliminate the remaining emis-
sions continues. Volvo is the only automobile
manufacturer to offer CFC-free retrofit kits for
the air conditioning system of all models as far
back as the 1975 model 240. Advanced elec-
tronic engine controls and cleaner fuels are
bringing us closer to our goal. In addition to
continuous environmental refinement of con-
ventional gasoline-powered internal combus-
tion engines, Volvo is actively looking at
advanced technology alternative-fuel vehicles.
When you drive a Volvo, you become our part-
ner in the work to lessen the car's impact on
the environment. To reduce your vehicle's
environmental impact, you can:
•
Maintain proper air pressure in your tires.
Tests have shown decreased fuel econ-
omy with improperly inflated tires.
•
Follow the recommended maintenance
schedule in your Warranty and Service
Records Information booklet.
•
Drive at a constant speed whenever pos-
sible.
•
See a trained and qualified Volvo service
technician as soon as possible for inspec-
tion if the check engine (malfunction indi-
cator) light illuminates, or stays on after the
vehicle has started.
•
Properly dispose of any vehicle-related
waste such as used motor oil, used batter-
ies, brake pads, etc.
•
When cleaning your vehicle, please use
genuine Volvo car care products. All Volvo
car care products are formulated to be
environmentally friendly.
Recycling
As part of Volvo’s commitment to the environ-
ment, it is essential for the vehicle to be recy-
cled in an environmentally sound way. Almost
the entire vehicle can be recycled and for that
reason, the vehicle’s final owner is requested
to contact a Volvo retailer for information about
approved and certified recycling facilities.