A move to green diesel for its van fleet in October 2021 has seen NMR’s carbon footprint reduce significantly. The company has a fleet of 16 vehicles, operating a nationwide network to collect and distribute bulk milk samples, and has switched from diesel-powered vehicles to smaller vans powered with HVO Green D+. By doing so, it has cut carbon emissions for this fleet by more than 90%.
“We looked at the options, including moving to more sustainable fuels, when the van fleet lease came up for renewal early in 2021,” says NMR’s managing director Andy Warne “Both green-diesel powered and electric vehicles were considered, but the mileage range available in electric vehicles made this option unviable at present.
“However, switching to green diesel, and to a smaller van with improved fuel economy, has contributed to a significant reduction in the total emissions produced by the fleet.”
NMR’s van fleet travels more than two million miles a year across Britain to deliver bulk milk samples from milk depots to its laboratories in the West Midlands or Glasgow for testing.
It carries out payment testing on bulk milk samples from 97% of UK dairy herds on behalf of milk buyers. Samples are taken from farms for every milk collection and transported with the tanker to the milk depot where they are collected by NMR for their onward journey.
The new vans are fueled with HVO Green D+. This is a fuel synthesized from vegetable oils or animal fats using a specialist hydrotreatment process and refinery. The high purity of this fuel, which has improved burning efficiency in diesel vehicles, contributes to the reduced emissions.
“HVO Diesel+ reduces CO2 emissions by 90%, with 85% less particulates and 30% less nitrous oxide, when compared to regular diesel,” adds Mr Warne. It’s also made from organic waste and it is biodegradable.”
To facilitate the move, NMR has installed one tank to store the green fuel that supports 65% of the fleet, with three more smaller tanks set to be installed for the network.
Improving sustainability across its business is a key objective for NMR, and a priority in business decisions throughout the company. “We will continue to review our transport networks and make improvements in our carbon footprint as the technology evolves,” adds Mr Warne. “This is the first step in a number of initiatives we are taking to work with the dairy sector overall on the journey towards net zero”
