The main purpose of Autoliv's environmental management is to fulfill all legal
and customer requirements. Environmental management also contributes to Autoliv's
profitability by reducing material use. Recyclable products with minimal environmental
impact also help drive sales and revenues.
The most essential contributions our company can make in environmental
management are:
to reduce product weight
to improve capability to recycle products and
to control Autoliv's facilities.
Weight Reduction
All companies in the automotive industry are under strong pressure to reduce
carbon dioxide emissions.
For vehicle manufacturers, this means significant efforts to reduce
gasoline consumption, not least by finding ways to reduce the weight of vehicles.
Even small contributions are welcomed in these continuing efforts.
This is one of the reasons we have made product material use a priority.
In addition, reductions in material use lead to less environmental
impact from steel works and other suppliers in the supply chain.
It is this phase (i.e. material use prior to arriving at an Autoliv
plant) that causes most of the environmental impact of our products - not our
own manufacturing processes.
In fact, the environmental impact of a typical Autoliv plant is
- in relation to sales - not higher than the impact of a bank or an office,
because most Autoliv facilities - unlike many typical plants - do only assembly
work from pre-fabricated (mainly steel and plastics) components.
Recycling
Capabilities
Although the European Parliament in 2000 adopted the directive End of Life
of Vehicle ("ELV"), we started our program for recyclable products and elimination
of hazardous materials many years ago.
The new ELV-directive, which will be phased in between 2003 and
2015, requires 95% of the material in all new vehicle models to be recoverable.
The directive also bans the use of hazardous substances and restricts the use
of other substances of concern.
To meet these requirements, the vehicle manufacturers have created
one common database (IMDS) to which all automotive suppliers report all substances
in their products. We have had such a database for many years, which now enables
us to make leading contributions to the new industry- wide database.
We are committed to maintaining that lead by continuing to optimize
the design and recyclability of our products and improving our manufacturing
processes. The ELV requirements will also be applied to our operations outside
Europe.
Our Facilities
Every Autoliv facility has an environmental management system, and most facilities
are certified according to the international environmental management standard
ISO-14001. At the end of 2003, our environmentally-certified plants accounted
for 95% of Autoliv's revenues.
As part of the environmental management systems, each plant measures
and monitors all relevant environmental factors, such as energy and water consumption,
and emissions of various kinds, as well as the use of chemicals, freight and
packaging materials and staff training.
For instance, to reduce freight and packaging materials, Autoliv
has introduced foldable, reusable shipping boxes to minimize the space needed
for returning boxes for reuse.
Recently, we implemented a cross-dock, logistical system in the
United States. Using this system, trucks are loaded in the Midwest with components
before returning to the Autoliv plants in Utah, after having delivered Autoliv's
products to that region's vehicle plants.
Customers and Suppliers
Autoliv works closely with its suppliers on environmental matters and
expects them to have environmental policies and management systems that
are based on the principles that are laid down in the Autoliv Environmental
Policy (see www. autoliv.com under "Social-Responsibilities").
Autoliv actively supports its
customers in their environmental programs. Autoliv is, for instance,
represented in the Ford Supplier Environmental Forum together with ten
other leading Ford suppliers which have a track record of being in the
forefront of environmental management.
Redesign of Airbag
One of the most efficient ways to improve the environment is to redesign
products. Autoliv's passenger airbag in 1998 (below left) weighed 3.3
kg. The current generation launched in 2002 (below right) weighs less
than 2 kg and has fewer parts (which reduces assembly costs). This 40%
savings in material reduces the impact that steel works and other suppliers
in Autoliv's supply chain have on the environment. It also reduces vehicle
emissions during the entire vehicle life.
Environmental Certifications
At the end of 2003, more than 65% of Autoliv's facilities had been certified
according to ISO 14001, an international environmental management standard.
These facilities accounted for approximately 95% of consolidated sales.
The certification work began in 1997. The operations not yet certified
are mainly companies that have been started or acquired recently.
