Volvo Trucks North America's New River Valley Plant (NRV) won Virginia's highest environmental award
for employing advanced technology to recycle and reuse 70 percent of the wastewater generated by the plant's production activities.

NRV, located in Dublin, Va., was awarded a Gold Medal and Governor's Flag at the 2008 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards on April 2. Volvo was one of only two companies in Virginia recognized at this level.The award encourages excellence in environmental management by recognizing companies that go beyond regulatory compliance toward environmental stewardship.

The wastewater recycling system reduced the plant's water consumption by nearly 600,000 gallons per month during the second half of 2007. The recycled water is used for the cooling towers, air supply house, paint booth water, cab parts washer and electrocoat process water. The wastewater recycling system went into operation in March 2006.

"Volvo is dedicated to environmental care, whether it is through reducing water use at NRV or by building trucks with outstanding fuel economy and very low emissions," said Per Carlsson, president and CEO of Volvo Trucks North America. "This award is another example of Volvo's leadership in reducing our environmental impact through innovative technology."

The recycling system uses two forms of membrane filtration technology to remove contaminants and return the water to the desired level of quality. Research by NRV personnel determined that the combination of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration provided the smallest operational costs, best energy efficiency and greatest water quality, compared to other methods studied.

This year's awards were sponsored by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Virginia Manufacturers Association and Virginia Tech's Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement. Award winners were chosen based on criteria related to environmental scope, impact, management and protection? community outreach, involvement and access? and a record of compliance with environmental regulations.

This is NRV's second Gold Medal from the Governor's Environmental Excellence Award. The plant also won in 2005 for its environmental programs.

Volvo Trucks North America assembles its Volvo VT, VN and VHD trucks in the United States, at the ISO14001 and ISO9001 certified New River Valley Plant in Dublin, Virginia. Volvo engines for North America are assembled in Hagerstown, Maryland. Volvo sponsors the America's Road Team national highway safety outreach program.