Volvo Construction Equipment expansion in Shippensburg, PA awarded Silver LEED certification

There are several classes of LEED certification, depending on how well the project has reduced possible environmental impacts. Very few manufacturing facilities have received a Silver LEED certification, a step up from basic certification. Less than 3% of all new construction projects receiving LEED certification are registered as industrial use buildings. This makes the Volvo CE’s Silver level achievement truly remarkable.

The Shippensburg facility began its quest for LEED certification during its design phase more than two years ago. Numerous environmental innovations were incorporated with the LEED credit system in mind. Once up and running, the Shippensburg facility adopted sustainable manufacturing methods to continue its efforts towards LEED certification. This covers almost every aspect of the facility’s activity, down to the smallest detail. For example, there are three different recycling solutions for the packaging that Volvo CE receives its materials in, including adopting Volvo Emballage, the company’s own re-usable packaging solution.

“Volvo CE acts with understanding and care for the life cycle of every component and material that we use and create,” says Chris Stone, director of industrial support and project in Shippensburg. “In some cases, our methods may not seem like the grandest undertaking but many modest changes add up to make a huge difference.”

LEED credits points were ultimately earned for energy efficiency, waste management, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, storm water management, and the use of recycled, local and approved materials for construction. Innovation credit points were earned for "green" education, low mercury content lamps, and sustainable landscaping.

"We're extremely honored to reach such a prestigious level in being rewarded Silver Certification. When we first started the campus expansion project, we included LEED certification as one of our objectives. When reviewing more of the details about the LEED program, we realized that it is more difficult for heavy manufacturing companies to become certified than for office buildings and schools. Many of the possible credits for certification did not apply to us, so we were at an immediate disadvantage. The Volvo project team, the engineering firms and the construction management company worked together diligently to find enough credits to not only meet basic certification, but Silver certification. It is a very proud moment for the project team and Volvo CE Shippensburg” remarked Stone.

With this, Volvo CE shows its strong commitment to our company’s core value of environmental care, an actual way of life at Volvo.