etruck.com.au

This video, produced by National Geographic, takes a look at the way trucks can be recycled after their useful life has ended. An aging Globetrotter rolls into a Swedish workshop to be dismantled so 95% of it can be used again or the materials recycled. It is not simply a a matter of taking the useful bits off, it’s all about maximising the amount of material saved to comply with Volvo’s stated aim of ‘zero landfill’ in the future.

These are lofty ideals but how many of those 25,000 trucks built in the Gothenburg plant each year will get recycled at the end of the day. Unfortunately, the proportion is likely to be pretty low. Most of the trucks will not be sold into environmentally responsible places like Scandinavia and Germany, but all around the world where the environment is not yet the major priority, survival is.

Don’t despair though, because there is an upside. Recycling is very good PR. It provides Volvo with the opportunity to have institutions like National Geographic reinforce the brand’s strong association with all things safe and responsible. Marketing Gold!