Carrefour has joined with Air Liquide to open the first of its biomethane stations in France, so it can expand its fleet of vehicles running on this type of fuel.
The retailer aims to have nine service stations, so that 200 lorries can make deliveries to 250 urban stores across Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux and Lille before the end of 2017.
Carrefour has entered into listing agreements with its energy partners to open the nine bioNGV service stations across the country. Air Liquide has a video that explains the technology behind bioNGV.
The opening of the Servon service station (in the Seine-et-Marne département), near the Brie-Comte-Robert logistics hub, is the first stage of this initiative, aimed at delivering goods to France's major urban areas.
Environmental Impact
Lorries running on biomethane have excellent environmental performance: a 75% reduction in CO2 emissions, no fine-particle emissions, and a 50% reduction in noise pollution, a Carrefour press statement explained.
Biomethane is part of the circular-economy model. Biowaste is collected from stores and treated in a plant, where the gas is extracted and converted into biofuel. This fuel is then used to power the lorries delivering food to the retail outlets, and the cycle continues.
With an interest in helping other companies reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, Carrefour has decided to open up its stations to all other stakeholders in the transport sector that have vehicles running on biomethane.
Choosing vehicles running on biomethane is in line with Carrefour's ambitious transport policy, the company stated. For each pallet transported by 2025, Carrefour aims to bring about a 30% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions, compared with 2010 levels.
To achieve this, the retailer is taking action on several fronts: it is moving its warehouses closer to its stores, adopting a responsible procurement policy, and working closely alongside its main transport partners in the supply chain.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Gavin Ryan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
