BWG Foods adds electric vehicle to growing sustainable distribution fleet
Group partners with Mercedes-Benz to press e-sprinter into service
Print10 November 2020
BWG Foods has become the first FMCG group in Ireland to add an electric-powered Mercedes-Benz eSprinter to its distribution fleet as further expansion of its ambitious sustainability strategy.
Owners and operators of the Spar, Eurospar, Londis, Mace and XL brands in the Republic of Ireland, BWG Foods already boasts one of the “greenest” fleets in the FMCG industry with a number of biogas fuelled and CNG powered trucks in operation. The addition of the eSprinter is another step towards becoming a leading climate change innovator in the Irish FMCG marketplace.
The eSprinter zero-emission vehicle is the first of its kind on the roads in Ireland and will service BWG Foods’ Dublin city centre based retailers for smaller ’just-in-time’ orders. It has a range of 150km per charge and in order to facilitate a twice daily shift, BWG has installed fast charging units at its National Distribution Centre in Kilcarberry.
In a further energy saving innovation, the electricity used to charge the eSprinter is generated directly from solar panels installed on the roof of the NDC. It is estimated that deployment of the eSprinter will generate Co2 savings of 20 tonnes per year.
“We are very passionate about finding new solutions that can reduce our environmental impact and given the significant scale of our business, and the expansive supply chain operation that supports it, it is critically important that we invest in new technologies that allow us to pioneer less carbon intensive methods of delivery,” said Joanne Mellon, logistics director, BWG Foods.
“The addition of the e-Sprinter to our fleet for specific Dublin city centre deliveries is yet another exciting milestone on our journey,” she added.
Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles sales manager, Fergus Conheady praised BWG for what he termed its “innovative and socially responsible decision” to invest in this ground breaking electric van operation.
As part of its wider supply chain sustainability programme, BWG Foods has invested heavily in sustainability measures to lower the carbon footprint of its delivery operations in recent years. BWG currently has the largest fleet of CNG (compressed natural gas) powered trucks in operation in Ireland, including a number of Biogas fuelled trucks powered from food-waste actually provided by BWG Foods.
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