BWG Foods, a supplier to Spar in Ireland, has introduced two biogas-powered heavy goods delivery vehicles to its fleet.
The move, also a first for FMCG groups in Ireland, aims to increase the use of biogas in the company’s increasingly environmentally friendly fuel mix.
The two biogas fuelled trucks are expected to reduce carbon emissions of the business by approximately 200 tonnes annually.
BWG Foods partnered with two Irish start-ups – VisionGreen and Generation Green – for the project.
'Transform The Logistics Industry'
Logistics director at BWG Foods, Joanne Mellon, said, “We believe that biogas trucks are the answer to achieve immediate CO2 reductions, as electric and hydrogen HGVs are in their infancy and won’t be available in the Irish market for some time to come.
“It’s been an exciting process working with two Irish companies, VisionGreen and Generation Green, in the development of a solution that has the potential to transform the logistics industry in a very positive way.”
The 26-tonne fuelled trucks, priced at around €180,000, are equipped with electric fridge units.
'A Circular Solution'
BWG Foods also plans to contribute food waste from its 22300 square-metre national distribution centre at Kilcarbery to the biogas production site at Nurney in Kildare, making it a circular solution.
In the past 12 months, the company has invested heavily in sustainability measures to lower the carbon footprint of its delivery operations.
At present, it operates a fleet of 18 CNG-powered trucks in Ireland that save a total of 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year compared to diesel-powered counterparts.
The company plans to gradually increase the use of biogas fuel across its entire fleet of CNG trucks to achieve further reduction in emissions.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
