BWG Foods announced a significant €2 million expansion to its low-carbon delivery fleet, through the addition of 10 new biomethane-powered heavy goods vehicles, adding to its existing fleet of two biomethane trucks, which were originally launched in 2020. The trucks were part of a company program to test low-carbon technologies across the business’s distribution operations.
The success of that trial program resulted in BWG Foods – owner and operator of the Spar, Eurospar, Londis, Mace and XL brands – taking delivery of 10 more trucks running on renewable gas, which will be on the road before the end of the year. Plans are already in place to add additional low-carbon vehicles in the near future, as the group pushes to significantly reduce carbon emissions across its distribution operation.
The biogas is being produced through the natural breakdown of food and sewage waste. BWG Foods contributes non-consumable food waste from its distribution operations, including its 240,000-square-foot national distribution center in Dublin, to produce fuel for its new vehicles at Generation Green’s biogas production site, in Nurney, Co. Kildare. This is a unique circular solution in Ireland.
“We’re on a clear mission to significantly reduce the carbon intensity of BWG’s distribution operation, which is one of the very largest in the country, distributing over 25 million outbound cases per year,” said Simon Marriott, COO, BWG Foods. “We very much see biogas as being a key solution for reducing transport-related emissions, in conjunction with electric vehicles, as technology develops for larger vehicles, and we are committed to investing significantly in continuing to grow our environmentally friendly distribution fleet over the coming years.”
The new rigid 26-ton trucks with electric fridge units each cost more than €180,000 and mark an expansion of an existing partnership between BWG Foods and Generation Green. This initiative is supported by Gas Networks Ireland through the provision of linked infrastructure.
Source: BWG Foods
