The Sweden-U.S. Green Transition Initiative has partnered with a consortium of construction industry leaders, including Volvo Construction Equipment, Atlas Copco, and Husqvarna Construction. The consortium plans to focus on constructing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the U.S. and utilizing exclusively electrified machines.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) found that the buildings and construction sector caused about 37% of energy and process-related carbon emissions globally in 2021. The industry has fallen short of decarbonization goals in the past few years, and UNEP has recommended building coalitions of national stakeholders to set targets and decarbonization strategies.
The three members of the consortium have responded to this suggestion with efforts to electrify construction equipment, including excavators, wheel loaders, portable air compressors, energy storage systems, and concrete power cutters. For example, Volvo has introduced a 20-ton wheel loader with zero-exhaust emissions that has already been effectively implemented in construction projects.
“Volvo CE is advancing sustainable power in the construction industry with our lineup of low- and zero-emission heavy equipment, yet we know collaboration will be critical to bring about the type of holistic change that is truly needed,” said Ray Gallant, vice president of product management and productivity at Volvo CE North America. “We’re excited to join other well-respected, like-minded companies to demonstrate how these green alternatives can be used to help deliver the infrastructure improvements we need.”
The Initiative Drives Sustainability Partnerships
The Sweden-U.S. Green Transition Initiative, which opened its Washington D.C. office in 2022, has initiated multiple pilot projects aimed at uncovering innovative platforms for low-carbon transitions.
The initiative aims to bring together various stakeholders, including governments, states and municipalities, research institutions, private corporations, and capital investors, to reduce global emissions while increasing bilateral trade and investment between the two countries. Objectives of the initiative target electromobility, renewable energy, sustainable industry, and smart buildings, all of which are considered key players in reaching global decarbonization targets.
Although construction is considered a hard-to-abate sector, efforts such as those supported by the new consortium continue to work towards speeding up decarbonization.
Already, the sector is seeing more low-carbon materials and options for low-emissions construction materials processing. Targeting emissions caused by construction equipment by providing EV alternatives offers yet another solution to creating a sustainable future for construction.
