DeliveryX UK Top500 2022 Elite retailer Tesco is making home delivery greener with its switch to electric vans.
Tesco plans to electrify its entire home delivery service in the coming years as part of its wider net zero goals. The supermarket is working to have a fully electric home delivery fleet by 2028 before becoming net zero in the UK by 2035 – 15 years earlier than planned and well ahead of the UK government’s deadline.
“In this critical decade for climate action, businesses must play a key role in driving transformational change,” says Jason Tarry, Tesco UK and ROI CEO.
Glasgow became the first Scottish city to transition to an all electric Tesco home delivery fleet, with over 3,700 deliveries per week made by electric vans.
“We’re also increasing our use of rail distribution to take more emissions off our roads and helping boost UK’s renewable energy capacity by investing in renewable energy infrastructure, including nine new wind and solar farms across Scotland and throughout the UK,” Tarry adds.
Furthermore, Tesco is working to ensure all stages of its supply chain are sustainable. In May 2022, it introduced its HGV trailers with refrigeration units powered by solar panels rather than traditional diesel engine technology.
The first 13.6 metre refrigerated trailer based at Tesco’s Peterborough Distribution Centre is delivering stock to stores across the East of England. It will be joined by a further three unit later in 2022.
The grocer is collaborating with suppliers to support them in reducing and reporting their own carbon reduction commitments, in line with the Paris Agreement goals.
Tesco has also set a deadline to reduce supply chain carbon emissions by 35% across food and manufacturing by 2030.
This feature originally appeared in the DeliveryX UK Top 500 2022 report
