Bakker Belgium, a Greenyard company, introduces the first e-truck (in Belgium) to deliver 18,000 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables to Delhaize each year.
Today is the first time that an e-truck will transport fresh fruit and vegetables from Bakker Belgium, a Greenyard company, to Delhaize. The new Volvo truck will deliver around 18,000 tons of fruit and vegetables to the retailer's distribution center in Zellik every year. With this important step towards a sustainable fleet, Bakker Belgium will save 58 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The commissioning of the truck has been enabled thanks to the unique, integrated, and long-term collaboration between both companies, reflected in a shared ambition to reduce CO2 emissions in the fruit and vegetable supply chain also within their own operations.
Investing in a more sustainable supply chain
Driven by the ambition to continuously reduce their environmental footprint, both Bakker Belgium and Delhaize identified a significant upside in the 60 km route between Bakker Belgium's distribution center in Boom and that of Delhaize in Zellik. A route that lends itself to the introduction of the first all-electric truck to further reduce CO2 emissions from its own operations. At both locations, investments have been made in charging infrastructure. In Boom, this infrastructure is connected to 2 500 solar panels on the 15 000 m2 roof of the warehouse. This guarantees a steady supply of green energy, which is also used for the electric cooling of trailers on site after being loaded with products.
"With this investment, we want to lead by example within our category, gain more experience and share our knowledge about e-transport with the rest of our supply chain partners. Because ultimately, we will need every link in the fruit and vegetable supply chain to achieve our sustainability goals," said Adrie Bakker, General Manager at Bakker Belgium.
Sustainability as a key factor in a strategic, long-term partnership
CO2 reduction is an inherent part of both Greenyard's, Bakker Belgium's, and Delhaize's sustainability strategy for a better planet. Greenyard's sustainability ambitions are captured in the group's sustainability roadmap and cover, amongst others, climate change and reducing the company's carbon footprint. The group will reduce its direct CO2 emissions by 50% by 2025 and 70% by 2030. Moving towards more sustainable ways of transport is a driver of these ambitions. The investment in this first electric truck directly contributes to them and offers a perfect solution for this specific trajectory.
For more information:
Janneke Goudswaard
Bakker Belgium
Tel.: +31 180 69 59 11
jgoudswaard@bakkerbarendrecht.nl
Cedric Pauwels
Greenyard
Tel.: +32 15 32 42 00
cedric.pauwels@greenyard.group