Scania marks one year of Climate Day as employee sustainability ideas spread worldwide
A year after Scania's Climate Day, employee-led sustainability ideas — from bioethanol company cars in Brazil to vegetable-oil fuel in Malaysia — have spread across the truck maker's operations.
- more than 50,000
- more than 100
- more than 300
- approximately 2,500
What Happened
Scania says its purpose is to drive the shift toward a sustainable transport system, and that more than 50,000 people in over 100 countries worldwide work on technically innovative commercial vehicles that emit the lowest possible amount of CO2. The company says it is aware of its impact and its responsibility around climate change, but also of the opportunities. Beyond its products, it wants to raise awareness for sustainable action among all of its employees — which is why it organized Climate Day about a year before this report.
“Reaching our sustainability goals means that all our employees need to contribute and work as a team. That is why we organized Climate Day about a year ago, so that our employees worldwide could find out more about climate change and its consequences.”
- Brochures, training materials and a quiz were offered in more than 30 languages.
- Approximately 2,500 employees received training specifically on the topic.
- Those trained colleagues passed on information during sustainability workshops.
- Numerous discussion groups talked about which ideas could be implemented at the local level.
- Many employees also applied what they learned at home: Gezelius says several colleagues now want to eat more vegetarian food and use public transport to get to work more often.
At Scania in Brazil, more than 300 ideas were gathered and several of them have already been implemented. The workforce reduced paper consumption in the offices by using digital signatures instead of printing out internal documents, and company cars are now fueled with bioethanol extracted from sugarcane. Marcelo Parizotto works in Sales and Marketing at Scania in São Bernardo do Campo, where he sparks customers' interest in environmentally friendly drive systems that can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Scania says its portfolio offers the most extensive range of vehicles that can be operated with alternative fuels, such as gas.
“My family and I are now aware that we have to take action today and not tomorrow, because this is the only planet we have. I am teaching my sons about sustainability, we are saving water at home, and trying to limit how often we drive the car.”
In Malaysia, master workshop mechanic Mohd Amir Syazwan bin Ghazali — with Scania since 2008 and at the Ipoh facility, 200 kilometers north of Kuala Lumpur, since 2015 — says he now refuels his car only with used vegetable oil collected from local restaurants, cutting the potential emission of soot particles from diesel fuel use by about half, and he has planted 20 trees around the workshop. Malaysian branches have also reduced their internal paper consumption, and the new workshop in Johor Bahru will be Scania's first in Malaysia to use solar energy. In Spain, colleagues are relying on energy-saving buildings alongside suggestions for more mobile work options, working from home and web meetings, and the Madrid branch's new office has its energy requirements completely covered by renewable energy sources. Brando Stillacci, Manager Scania Assistance in Madrid, says the application process was adjusted so candidates learn how Scania is promoting the transformation to a sustainable company, and that he and his colleagues have nearly stopped using paper in daily work and at home and separate waste much better than they used to.
To mark the one-year anniversary, Scania in Brazil hosted an online event that featured a different topic over the course of one week, asking what impact sustainability has on investments, health and society. Employees in Sweden and throughout the entire world are teaming up to live and work in a more sustainable manner, and CEOs of several partners discussed the prospects arising from sustainable actions. Brochures and training materials are available for download on Scania's website to inspire people outside the company, and Gezelius says Climate Day was an ideal format and tool to reach all employees and raise awareness of the topic.
Previously from TRATON Group
Earlier MotorClaw coverage looked at how the wider group frames the same challenge: Volkswagen Truck & Bus CTO Rodrigo Chaves said cutting transport CO2 is not about one perfect global technology but about matching biofuels, electrification and hybrids to each market's energy reality. MotorClaw also reported that Scania Brazil's sustainability chief, Patricia Acioli, says meaningful change starts with listening to communities rather than grand gestures.
- VWTB CTO Rodrigo Chaves on cutting truck CO2: match biofuels, electric and hybrid to each market's energy matrix
- Scania Brazil's Patricia Acioli Turns Community Action into Sustainability Strategy
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of TRATON Group's official releases.
Why this matters
Scania says its purpose is to drive the shift toward a sustainable transport system, and that more than 50,000 people in over 100 countries work on low-CO2 commercial vehicles. The follow-up to Climate Day shows that employees, not just products, are part of that push, and the Brazil, Malaysia and Spain examples show how one program plays out very differently from region to region.
Terms in This Story
- CO2
- Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas released when fuels such as diesel or gasoline are burned; lower CO2 emissions mean a smaller contribution to climate change.
- Bioethanol
- An alcohol fuel made from plant material such as sugarcane, used to power vehicles instead of fossil fuels.
- Alternative fuels
- Fuels other than conventional diesel or gasoline — including gases and plant-based fuels — that can power vehicles.
- Soot particles
- Tiny particles released when diesel fuel burns, which are associated with air pollution.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.