UK supermarket chain J Sainsbury is set to power 30 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) at its Bristol distribution centre, using biofuel made from its own food waste. The initiative will cut carbon emissions by over 3,000 tonnes annually.
The listed company, which trades as Sainsbury’s, is working with UK waste processor RenECO to turn food waste that cannot be donated or used for animal feed into biogas via anaerobic digestion (AD) – the process through which bacteria break down organic matter.
The biogas is upgraded to biomethane by removing the CO2. It is then liquefied into bio-LNG, cutting emissions by up to 92% compared with fossil LNG (liquefied natural gas).
Unlike methods which blend biomethane with fossil gas, the supermarket business is ensuring its fuel is sourced entirely from its own waste.
Patrick Dunne, Chief Property and Procurement Officer, said the initiative was part of the company’s drive to become Net Zero by 2035.
J Sainsbury is not alone in adopting biofuels to decarbonise logistics. UK supermarket chain Tesco has trialled biomethane-powered delivery trucks, while another UK rival, Morrisons, is working to phase out diesel HGVs for ones powered by alternative fuels.
Yet another, Waitrose & Partners, has been using biomethane from food waste to fuel its trucks since 2017, while the German supermarket chain Lidl recently became the first retailer in the UK and Ireland to power its delivery fleet with biomethane generated from its own in-store food waste, in partnership with McCulla Ireland.
