John Lewis Partnership steps up its internet zero carbon dedication
The John Lewis Partnership is building a special biomethane gas station so that the largest trucks can use a low-carbon alternative to diesel
The John Lewis partnership has announced that it will strengthen its commitment to reducing CO2 emissions by building a special biomethane gas station so that the largest trucks can use a low-carbon alternative to diesel. In addition, the partnership also announced the goal of ending the use of fossil fuels in the entire 4,800-strong transport fleet by 2030.
In March 2019, the company, owned by its employees, committed to be net zero carbon in its entire operations by 2050 at the latest and to switch its 600 heavy-duty vehicles to low-carbon biomethane by 2028. The partnership has declined since last year. Total operational carbon emissions fell by 6.6% 2 and emissions from transport by 6.9%.
The new biomethane gas station is being built in cooperation with Air fluid, an industrial gas company that will open in December 2020 at the partnership's headquarters in Bracknell. It is the company's first gas filling station on site.
It will make it easier to convert the Bracknell Waitrose fleet to biomethane and will complement gas filling stations already in the vicinity of John Lewis and Waitrose's regional distribution centers in Leyland, Lancashire and Northampton.
The vehicles are operated with approx. 120 Waitrose trucks and run on biomethane from food waste and food waste instead of diesel. This reduces CO2 emissions by 80%, with each truck saving over 100 tons of CO2 every year.
These gas vehicles are also quieter and reduce noise pollution, which is particularly important for urban deliveries. At the Bracknell site alone, over 70,000 tonnes of CO2 will be saved over the next seven years, which corresponds to the carbon footprint of over 13,000 British households3.
Since 2015, 85 of the partnership's heavy diesel vehicles have already been replaced by biomethane trucks. A further 143 will be purchased and put into operation by the end of 2020. This is the largest order for biomethane trucks in the UK.
In order to further reduce CO2 emissions in the entire transport network, the partnership aims to remove fossil fuels from its commercial vehicle and car fleet by 2030. This radical initiative could introduce 1,750 electric vehicles and light trucks and convert around 750 refrigerated trailers from diesel to electric.
In addition, the partnership's 1,300-strong vehicle fleet would become 100% electric, and any remaining vehicles that could not be converted to biomethane or electricity would use hydrogen-treated vegetable oil (HVO) biodiesel.
"Evidence of climate change is all around us, so it is important that we use the technology available now instead of waiting for unproven solutions," said Justin Laney, partner and general manager of Central Transport at the John Lewis Partnership.
“We are working hard on our new goal of removing all fossil fuels from our transport fleet by 2030. This will cut our CO2 emissions by over half a million tons and we are well on track to achieve our ultimate goal of operating a zero net CO2 emissions fleet. "
In addition to reducing CO2 emissions in traffic, the partnership also reduces the CO2 emissions of its shops, replacing the cooling units used in Waitrose. Fluorocarbon (HFC) – the greenhouse gases used in cooling systems – are currently being converted to HFC-free refrigerators, which will be completed by 2028.
