Volvo CE's latest haulers now made with low-carbon steel

Volvo CE has begun integrating low-carbon emission steel into the serial production of all articulated haulers manufactured at its Braås facility in Sweden.

The company said that this move aligns with the company’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions across its value chain, both in machine operation and material sourcing, as part of its goal to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

Steel is a major contributor to the carbon footprint of construction equipment, accounting for around 60% of an articulated hauler’s total mass and more than half of its emissions in the cradle-to-gate life cycle.

Cradle-to-gate is a model that assesses a product's environmental footprint from raw materials extraction until it leaves the factory-“gate”.

Growing sustainability plans

Volvo CE first introduced fossil-free steel in 2021 in partnership with Swedish steel producer SSAB, unveiling a concept hauler made from this material. In 2022, it became the first company to deliver a construction machine built with fossil-free steel to a customer.

Now, Volvo CE is scaling up its efforts by incorporating low-carbon emission steel—produced using recycled steel and powered by fossil-free electricity and biogas—into mass production.

Currently, 13% of the total steel mass in articulated haulers built at Braås has been replaced with this material, with plans to increase this proportion as supply chain availability grows.

This shift is expected to cut Volvo CE’s CO₂ emissions by approximately 13,000 tons per year, a reduction of over 5% within the cradle-to-gate scope.

Rickard Alm, head of Volvo CE’s Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) programme, said, “We are proud to lead the way in the industry and move forward towards minimising our climate footprint across the entire lifecycle of our products. While emissions from product use represent the vast majority of carbon output in our industry, it is important to also act to cut emissions in the production phase, including materials like steel, in close collaboration with our global supply partners.”