Transport and distribution
The miles driven by our fleet of commercial vehicles represent our second largest source of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions.
In 2010/11, our emissions from transport (including exclusive third-party distribution) were just under 73,000 tonnes – a 5.9% improvement per £million sales since 2005/06. However, the last year saw a 0.3% increase, largely due to bringing frozen food distribution in-house, as well as making more store and home deliveries. We also increased backhauling (making use of trucks on their journeys back from distributing products). While reducing overall distribution mileage, this shifts emissions from supplier vehicles to our own.
Waitrose was the first UK grocer to link the planting of trees, here in the UK, to the activity of its home delivery vehicles. By working in partnership with the Woodland Trust, every
waitrose.com delivery helps plant new trees.
Making our fleet more fuel-efficient
Our fleet vehicles have rounded corners, side skirts and low-resistance tyres for the greatest fuel efficiency. Both John Lewis and Waitrose use multi-deck trailers, which provide a significant carbon saving compared to conventional trucks.
We are also fitting aerodynamic mouldings to the front of older multi-deck trailers. We plan on using a wind tunnel or computer modelling adopted from the aerospace and Formula 1 industries to optimise vehicle aerodynamics.
Good driving also reduces fuel consumption and the risk of accidents. By setting a 53mph speed limit for our primary distribution vehicles, against a national limit of 56mph, fuel consumption improves by 3%.
We are also implementing vehicle telematics to assess driving styles and fuel efficiency, which could save 4% of CO2 per vehicle every year. Our aim is to have telematics in all primary distribution vehicles by the end of 2011.
Exploring alternative fuels
In addition to using seven heavy vehicles fuelled by pure plant oil and five electric urban delivery vehicles, we are exploring other low-carbon technologies and alternative fuels, such as using our own and our suppliers’ food waste to generate biomethane gas.
We are also monitoring developments in other advanced biofuels, particularly those grown on marginal land in developing countries, which can reduce carbon and provide employment and investment where it is most needed.
John Lewis has been running an eco-delivery trial, through which customers can choose a more environmentally favourable delivery slot when a vehicle is already in their area. This helps us to reduce miles travelled.
The Partnership was a founding member of the Logistics Carbon Reduction Scheme, a voluntary scheme to record, report and reduce carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from UK freight. The Scheme, managed by the Freight Transport Association (FTA), positions the logistics sector in the lead as Government challenges businesses to respond to national and international climate change targets. It provides a simple and cost-effective way for businesses of all sizes to use the same measurement techniques to measure carbon dioxide emissions from logistics activities and report them on a common basis.
(Photo of Eco Van & Driver)
Eco-vans on the horizon Waitrose is the first supermarket to trial vans fuelled by biomethane gas extracted from a landfill site in Surrey. We worked with the manufacturer to modify them for our refrigeration equipment. They will save four tonnes of CO2 per vehicle per year and will qualify for a fuel discount on the London Congestion Charge, reducing our costs.
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