Volvo Group & CRH Form Partnership to Accelerate Decarbonization

Leaders from Volvo Group and CRH met in Eskilstuna, Sweden, on Nov. 13 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on opportunities to accelerate the transition to net zero. Both organizations aim to reduce emissions. Volvo Group’s target is to have 35% fully electric sales by 2030 and to be net zero in its value chain by 2040. CRH is targeting a 30% reduction in group-wide emissions by 2030 and to become a net-zero business by 2050. CRH is a building materials solutions business in North America and Europe. With operations in 29 countries, it has been a long-standing key customer of many Volvo Group companies.

From the extraction and processing of raw materials through transport across the supply chain to the point of use in construction, there are many types of equipment and vehicles in use across CRH, and many opportunities to drive down emissions. CRH, through its Innovation Centre for Sustainable Construction, will provide its expertise to identify opportunities to maximize the value of sustainable innovation in construction. Volvo Group’s brands — Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks, Mack Trucks and Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) — will contribute with their expertise in sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions to the partnership.

Both companies have previously collaborated in projects for both on-road and off-road segments of the CRH business. This includes the first fully electric concrete mixer in the United Kingdom (U.K.), developed by Renault Trucks and deployed by Tarmac, a CRH Company, and the introduction of the first Volvo FM Electric truck in France, operated on behalf of Eqiom, a CRH Company.

Earlier this year, Volvo CE delivered North America’s first machine made of fossil-free steel, an A30G articulated hauler. This unit is now operating at Pennsy Supply, a CRH company in North America. Additionally, both companies jointly participated in a Net Zero Roads event held in the U.K. in October 2023, testing the Volvo L120H electric wheel loader, L25 electric compact wheel loader, EC230 electric crawler excavator at various Tarmac operational sites. Volvo CE also plans to demo an L120H Electric wheel loader at a European CRH site in early 2024.