BWG Foods, which holds the licence for SPAR in Ireland, has teamed up with Coca-Cola and Dixon International Transport to use fully electric Heavy Goods Vehicles (e-HGVs) for selected deliveries to its distribution centre in Dublin.
Through this initiative, the partners seek to reduce carbon emissions by 229 tonnes annually, which is equivalent to powering 29 homes for one year, Spar Ireland noted.
The e-HGVs, which have a range of 300 kilometres, will be powered by 100% renewable electricity from Dixon International Transport’s new 500kw solar panel array.
'An Exciting Next Step'
Alan Crawford, trading director of BWG Foods said, "This partnership is an exciting next step in our transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner, more sustainable options. We have already invested significantly in reducing our own emissions across our distribution operations and now we are pioneering partnerships that will extend our positive impact even deeper into our supply chain.
"Our consumers increasingly value genuine progress in environmental sustainability so we will continue to work with suppliers and partners so that together we can increase the pace of innovation and reduce emissions across the sector."
Delivery Partnership
The partnership will involve the delivery of Coca-Cola HBC beverages using these e-HGVs from Lisburn, County Antrim, to BWG’s national distribution centre in Dublin.
From there, BWG Foods will employ its electric fleet for final delivery to SPAR, EUROSPAR and SPAR Express stores across the country.
The pilot project, starting with three fully electric Volvo HGVs, will serve as a template for a more sustainable supply chain, demonstrating how producers, retailers, and hauliers can collaborate to achieve decarbonisation goals, Spar Ireland added.
