Living Seawall : An Ocean Conservation Project

Our oceans are in distress

One garbage truck of plastic enters the world’s oceans every minute, and more than half of Sydney’s shoreline is artificial. Rich, vibrant habitats have been replaced with seawalls and degraded by plastic pollution.

There’s so much plastic in the ocean that scientists say it’s simply not feasible to remove it all. Tearing down seawalls isn’t viable either. Solving environmental issues requires modern, divergent thinking.

That’s why we’ve partnered with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and Reef Design Lab to create the Living Seawall.

Why the Living Seawall?

ODesigned to mimic the root structure of native mangrove trees, the Living Seawall adds complexity to the existing seawall structure and provides a habitat for marine life. This aids biodiversity and attracts filter-feeding organisms that actually absorb and filter out pollutants – such as particulate matter and heavy metals – keeping the water ‘clean’. The more organisms we have,
the cleaner the water.

The making of the Living Seawall

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Our commitment to sustainability

There's a Swedish word, omtanke, that means 'caring' and 'consideration'.
That's what the Living Seawall is all about.

Volvo is commited to building a sustainable future with projects like the Living Seawall and beach clean-ups, but our sustainability programme doesn't end there.

By the end of 2019, Volvo Cars will remove single-use plastics from all its offices, canteens and events across the globe. This will replace over 20 million single-use plastics with sustainable alternatives.

We've also commited to electrification, with a goal of putting 1 million electric cars on the road by 2025, and to fostering productive partnerships. Volvo Cars is an active supporter of the UN Environment's Clean Seas campaign and a founding member of the UN Global Compact.

This radical and divergent style of thinking isn't just what we do. It's part of who we are.