Reducing CO2 Emission's from Sainsbury's Transport Fleet

Reducing CO2 emissions is another area where Sainsbury's is hoping to make progress in the future. Sainsbury's is always exploring new ways of achieving this.

Awareness among Sainsbury's stakeholders of global warming and the implications of climate change is continually growing. It is their concerns that have kept reduction in CO2 emissions from our transport programme as a priority for Sainsbury's. In 2002/03 we have achieved a reduction in mileage travelled of 3.9% whilst delivering an extra 2.8% to our stores. This has resulted in a reduction of 6.2% in the amount of CO2 emitted by our vehicles. Key in achieving our objectives has been to optimise the effectiveness of our transport fleet, be it those making food deliveries to store or Sainsbury's colleagues making their way to work.

The renewal of the fleet has given us the opportunity to use more energy-efficient engines but other activity is being looked into to make further reductions in CO2 emissions.

We conducted a trial with 20 trucks using biodiesel. The fuel was a 5% blend of biodiesel, which uses virgin blend rapeseed oil and linseed oil. The trial was specifically monitoring performance and driver acceptance. With driver feedback positive and performance on par with standard diesel, the trial was judged to be successful. Unfortunately, the fuel has not been adopted because there were commercial barriers. It is hoped that duty might be reduced on the fuel to make it a commercially viable proposition but this has not happened yet.

Sainsbury's has also looked at using gas-powered vehicles. Aside from the environmental benefits such as reduced NOx, SOx and CO2 emissions, the fuels could also help the business to be more effective. To minimise the risk of disturbance to neighbours, Sainsbury's lorries can currently only make deliveries during specific times of the day, resulting in large numbers of lorries transporting goods across the UK to stores during this short window of time. Gas-powered vehicles could help spread out delivery times simply because they are much quieter. Current delivery restrictions could be relaxed, enabling Sainsbury's to use fewer vehicles over a longer time period. This would be beneficial in a number of ways; reducing emissions, congestion on the roads and disturbance.

Sainsbury's colleagues are also doing their bit for the environment, by thinking more carefully about how they travel to work. Sainsbury's Green Travel plans are now introduced into every new store and also those that have been extended or significantly refurbished to encourage staff to switch from their cars to alternative transport such as the bus, train or bike. Increased bicycle parking, showers and lockers, improved pedestrian access and better bus services are all now features of a modern store.

Since the introduction of the first Green Travel plan in 2000 at Watchmoor Park store in Camberley, Surrey, the number of colleagues using cars has reduced despite the challenges of staff turnover and the demands of shift patterns at the busy store. Sainsbury's now has Green Travel Plans in 40 stores and as well as continuing to extend the reach of the initiative among colleagues is looking at promoting green travel to its customers too.