INTRODUCTION
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Volvo and the environment Volvo is committed to the well being of its cus- tomers. As a natural part of this commitment, wecare about the environment in which we all live.Concern for the environment means an everydayinvolvement in reducing our environmentalimpact.
Volvo's environmental activities are based on a holistic view, which means we consider the over-all environmental impact of a product throughoutits complete life cycle. In this context, design, pro-duction, product use, and recycling are all impor-tant considerations. In production, Volvo haspartly or completely phased out several chemicalsincluding CFCs, lead chromates, asbestos, andcadmium; and reduced the number of chemicalsused in our plants 50% since 1991. Volvo was the first in the world to introduce into production a three-way catalytic converter with aLambda sond, now called the heated oxygen sen-sor, in 1976. The current version of this highlyefficient system reduces emissions of harmfulsubstances (CO, HC, NOx) from the exhaust pipeby approximately 95 – 99% and the search toeliminate the remaining emissions continues.Volvo is the only automobile manufacturer tooffer CFC-free retrofit kits for the air conditioningsystem of all models as far back as the 1975model 240. Advanced electronic engine controlsand cleaner fuels are bringing us closer to ourgoal. In addition to continuous environmentalrefinement of conventional gasoline-poweredinternal combustion engines, Volvo is activelylooking at advanced technology alternative-fuelvehicles. When you drive a Volvo, you become our partner in the work to lessen the car's impact on theenvironment. To reduce your vehicle's environ-mental impact, you can:
• Maintain proper air pressure in your tires.Tests have shown decreased fuel economywith improperly inflated tires.
• Follow the recommended maintenanceschedule in your Warranty and ServiceRecords Information booklet.
• Drive at a constant speed whenever possible.
• See a trained and qualified Volvo servicetechnician as soon as possible for inspectionif the check engine (malfunction indicator)light illuminates, or stays on after the vehiclehas started.
• Properly dispose of any vehicle-related wastesuch as used motor oil, used batteries, brakepads, etc.
• When cleaning your vehicle, please use gen-uine Volvo car care products. All Volvo carcare products are formulated to be environ-mentally friendly.
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The FSC
®
(Forest Stewardship Council ®
) symbol
indicates that the wood pulp used in this publica- tion comes from FSC ®
certified forests and other
responsible sources.
Related information
• Economical driving (p. 278)
• Tires – tire economy (p. 290)
