Volvo For Life Fund announces new coastal health initiatives
At the Ocean Race Summit in Alicante, Spain, we unveiled two new initiatives aimed at restoring coastal health as part of our Volvo For Life Fund.
A Volvo car by the ocean
The world is facing a triple planetary crisis: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. In the light of this, we see a need for a more comprehensive approach to sustainability. That’s why we are going beyond just looking at CO₂, addressing biodiversity impacts and working with ocean and coastal health.
As a result, we are pleased to announce two new Volvo For Life Fund partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and the University of Gothenburg. In these new collaborations, we will help preserve and restore biodiversity along coastal landscapes in two different parts of the world, including regions where our company operates.
We expect the initiatives to have a long-reaching positive impact on the biodiversity, natural ecosystems and population in these areas.
“We are here to encourage action for ocean health. As a company rooted in the coastal city of Gothenburg, we hold the health of our coastal ecosystems close to our heart.” says Vanessa.
In our collaboration with the Nature Conservancy, we will focus on preserving biodiversity through mangrove restoration in non-protected areas of the Indian Sundarbans. The Indian Sundarbans is one of the world’s largest mangrove forests, providing a critical habitat for vulnerable species, including the Bengal tiger, and offering local communities protection from floods. With our support, The Nature Conservancy aims to improve the coastal ecosystem and sustain local livelihoods through a number of community-led interventions.
Together with the University of Gothenburg, we are helping to restore eelgrass in Hakefjorden on Sweden’s West Coast, close to our global headquarters. Based on the latest biodiversity research, planting eelgrass meadows should help re-establish biodiverse ecosystems and improve water quality for nearby coastal residents. The initiative will also provide insights for broader coastal ecosystems research.
Vanessa Butani representing Volvo Cars at the Ocean Race Summit
Our global head of sustainability, Vanessa Butani, made the announcement at the Ocean Race Summit in Alicante – and the time and place is no coincidence.
In August, Volvo Cars announced an extension of the partnership with The Ocean Race including a joint mission on ocean health.
“Sustainability is about so much more than CO₂ emissions, and Volvo Cars will continue to take significant steps to address our sustainability impact, including now around coastal health,” Vanessa concludes.
About the Volvo For Life Fund
The Volvo For Life Fund is a global initiative that extends our commitment to safety beyond the road. It supports projects focused on empowering people, restoring and preserving the environment, and providing relief when natural disasters strike. The fund continues our tradition of safety, aiming to build resilience and hope for people, communities, and ecosystems.
Learn more at our Volvo For Life Fund page.
