As a premium automotive brand with one of the most ambitious climate plans in the industry, Volvo Car Malaysia has partnered with E-waste Recycling Through Heroes (ERTH) to provide an avenue – an E-waste Green Box – for all Malaysians to responsibly dispose and recycle their used electronics at Volvo Car dealerships nationwide, as well as at the Volvo Car Manufacturing Malaysia (VCMM) plant site.
This initiative comes off the back of Volvo Car Malaysia’s ongoing sustainability campaign – the Volvo Green Planet – which aims to bring greater awareness towards today’s pressing climate concerns and propel the brand closer to its long-term goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040.
Volvo Cars as a group goes beyond its mission to reduce CO 2 emissions per car by 40 per cent between 2018 and 2025 through electrification, and also tackles carbon emissions in all aspects of its business, from manufacturing and operations to its supply chain and even its approach to recycling and reuse of materials.
Embracing this commitment even on a local front, Volvo Car Malaysia, along with other Volvo Cars facilities around the world, has taken to more sustainable approaches to their business such as abstaining from single-use plastics and going paperless for all brochures and price lists at its headquarters and Volvo dealerships.
In a move to expand its sustainability efforts, Volvo Car Malaysia is opening the doors of its
dealerships nationwide to anyone who wishes to dispose of their electronic wastes responsibly.
Sharing the same vision for a more sustainable future, VCMM also extends the same invitation for Malaysians to drop off their used electronics at a dedicated area.
The dealerships and VCMM will have a dedicated E-waste Green Box located in a visible area where the general public, not just prospective customers, can drop off any devices or
components running on electricity or battery that can fit into the box.
This includes, but is not limited to laptops, mobile phones, monitors, tablets, printer, keyboard, batteries and gaming consoles. For bulkier items, individuals are encouraged to book a free pickup service on www.erth.app.
Akhtar Sulaiman, Marketing and PR Director of Volvo Car Malaysia, said: “At Volvo, we walk the talk. Instead of only talking about sustainability, we drive it by embracing and integrating the practice into our business and day-to-day life.
When coming up with the idea for the E-waste Green Box, we wanted to enable all Malaysians – and not just our customers and employees – so that together we can drive this sustainability journey together, for the greater good of our planet and our future generations, so that we leave behind a safer and greener world for them to live in.”
This initiative is made possible in collaboration with ERTH, a registered organisation with the Malaysian Department of Environment (Jabatan Alam Sekitar) that collects, purchases and transports electronic waste to be recycled at local government-licensed recycling facilities.
ERTH ensures that the recycling process is in line with the guidelines from the Basel Convention, an international agreement treaty designed to reduce the movement, transport
and/or shipment of hazardous waste between nations.
Mohamed Tarek El-Fatatry, Founder of ERTH, said: “We are glad to partner with companies
such as Volvo Car Malaysia who are taking proactive steps to address the climate and waste problems in our country.
In Malaysia, only about 25 per cent of our e-waste is recycled according to the latest government statistics, while the remainder is often incinerated or dumped in landfills. We hope that through this collaboration and Volvo Car Malaysia’s network of dealerships across the nation, more people can be encouraged to adopt proper recycling habits for the sake of our planet.”
“Responsible business is a fundamental part of Volvo Car Malaysia, which is why we are proud to collaborate with ERTH that ensures the electronic waste is recycled and repurposed in the correct manner and in accordance to guidelines that have been laid down.
In an age where electronics are abundant, we partly contribute to the problem, so we need to also be a part of the solution. Recycling and repurposing is one of the best ways to offset one’s carbon emission, and we hope that more Malaysians can take part in joining us to create a greener future,” concludes Akhtar.
Individuals who wish to drop-off their used electronic devices in the E-waste Green Box can visit their nearest authorised Volvo dealership, with an extensive list found here:
https://www.volvocars.com/my/find-a-dealer.
The E-waste Green Box will also be placed at the security guard post of VCMM’s plant site.
