Following the unveiling of Volvo's first fully electric car, the XC40 Recharge, this past fall, the Swedish carmaker announced that it will begin using a blockchain platform (essentially a decentralized digital ledger) to trace its cobalt. Volvo Canada's Matt Girgis tells Corporate Knights that while Volvo has long been marketed as the safest car in the world, it's now trying to position itself as the safest car for the planet. Making sure its minerals are "clear and safe from unethical issues," as its blockchain partner put it, is particularly pressing now that, as of 2020, all new Volvo models will be hybrids or plug-ins, with gas-only vehicles phased out by 2025.