American automakers are slowly wiping the gas-guzzling image off its lineup. Cars are introduced to alternative fuels and environmentally friendly power sources. Pickups and sport utilities, deemed gas-sipping vehicles, are also injected with the green auto technology to help reduce the ill effects of global warming and foreign oil dependence.

But in Sweden, the scenario that mirrors the economy- and climate-conscious strategies have started a long time ago. In the territory, truckmakers are not tagged the main planet polluter. This is because producing green trucks with clean emissions has long been their top priority.

"Volvo and Scania are definitely in advance on the competition. Environmental issues have been on their minds for a very, very long time," said Anders Trapp, a truck sector analyst at Swedish investment bank Enskilda Securities.

Over the past two decades, the European Union has imposed increasingly stringent standards on truckmakers weighing more than 3.5 tonnes to compel to manufacture greener vehicles.

But Swedish truckmakers have independently of the EU requirements shifted gears to respond to environmental threats. "For both it was an internal strategic decision taken many, many years ago, I would say decades. They realized quite in advance that reducing emissions would be a key issue," said Magnus Axen, an analyst at Evli Bank.

In Sweden, the manufacture of green cars is not something new. It has been etched in the territory’s name since the later part of 1960’s. Since 2006, Sweden has topped the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) over countries doing the most to protect the environment. Additionally, Sweden already tops 40 percent renewable energy.

The EU plans to raise the use of renewable energies like biomass, wind and solar power to 20 percent of all energy forms by 2020, while biofuels will also have to make up ten percent of fuels used for transport, according to AFP.

"Volvo and Scania are pioneers and to my knowledge no other manufacturers do as much in the field," said Alexis Albert, an analyst at Natixis Securities.

"This a part of the brand value. They understand it's good for their image (since) truck and car makers are accused of polluting the environment. It's a way to defend the company's image," noted Trapp.

On January 22, the manufacturer of the durable Volvo wheels announced its plan to slash CO2 emissions from its own deliveries to its factories by 20 percent in two years by reducing fuel consumption, increasing the use of biofuels, and enhancing logistics.

Scania, meanwhile, has halved emissions from its production side over the past two decades and by ten percent during the period 2005-2007, said Hans-Aake Danielsson, a company spokesman. He added that CO2 cuts follow the same rhythm as productivity improvements, or six to eight percent per year.

Volvo has also started introducing 100 percent clean factories in Sweden. In September, the truckmaker inaugurated the world's first zero CO2 emission plant in Ghent, Belgium. The latter runs on renewable energies such as wind and solar power, bio oil and pellet-fired biomass.

Scania replaced chemical-based paints in favor of waterbased ones. "Scania also offers truckdrivers training courses on fuel efficient driving to enable them to reduce petrol consumption by 10 to 15 percent," Albert noted.

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