Autolivs’ most important contribution to sustainable development is our products. According to our estimations, our products save 37,000 lives and reduce 600,000 injuries every year. Long-term research, continuous product development and quality assurance of our products are paramount importance to us. We also consider various sustainability aspects in our materials management and ensure compliance with different product regulations.
Autoliv is not only developing and engineering technologies to enable more lives to be saved but also providing guidance, through research, on how to accomplish this goal. We are engaged in research activities together with universities in the fields of biomechanics, human factors and traffic safety analysis. Our research and development are based on real traffic accidents and injuries as well as numerous crash tests, user clinics, simulations, field operational tests and the vast expertise gathered by our specialists over many years. Through our research and different collaborations, we aim to improve the safety of car occupants and we also actively engage in activities to improve the safety of vulnerable road users.
Autoliv has pioneered automotive safety for over 65 years, including the introduction of several world firsts. Our product portfolio spans airbags, seatbelts, steering wheels and pedestrian protection. We also provide additional safety features, such as pyro safety switches, automatic bolt release and integrated child booster seats.
Our life-saving products never get a second chance. Accordingly, we are committed to delivering the highest quality, safety and performance in our products and services, in alignment with our vison of Saving More Lives. Our quality culture is personified by daily efforts throughout the organization to:
Quality is also a key to our financial performance, since excellence in quality is critical for winning new orders, preventing recalls and maintaining low scrap rates.
Autoliv Global materials management aims to ensure an optimized material catalogue and supply base within Autoliv that meets our global requirements for all functions and all products. Efficient materials management supports Autoliv’s modularization process, which aims to reduce cost and complexity. Our Materials Management team is responsible for defining preferred materials and their approved suppliers. As part of our work related to materials management, we have standards that define requirements for reporting the material composition of our supplied parts and the restrictions to which certain substances will be subject. The definitions of declarable, restricted and forbidden substances are based on customer specifications and subject to governmental regulations, including European Union ELV (end-of-life vehicles) and REACH regulations, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) disclosure rules related to Conflict Minerals. The work is supported by an internal material data system.