Aldi is converting more than 30 per cent of its HGVs to hydrotreated vegetable oil fuels
UK discounter Aldi is converting more than 30 per cent of its fleet of owned HGVs to operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuels.
The move is taking place on more than 160 HGVs based at its Cardiff, Swindon and Neston distribution centres, and is expected to reduce the supermarket’s carbon footprint by approximately 15,400 tonnes of CO2e per year.
HVO is a diesel alternative that significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional diesel.
If implemented across Aldi’s entire fleet of more than 550 HGVs, the change could eliminate an additional 55,100 tonnes of CO2e per year.
Liz Fox, national sustainability director at Aldi, said: “Switching to HVO fuels on our lorry fleet aligns with our long-term sustainability goals and reflects our commitment to reducing our carbon emissions.
“We are always looking for ways to continue our efforts to drive positive change across the business and this move in particular is a significant milestone for Aldi.”
The news comes as the discounter steps up its fight against price-matching schemes offered by rival, traditional supermarkets.
Aldi has placed ads in several national newspapers highlighting examples of Tesco products containing less of the main ingredient than Aldi’s, despite being a claimed a ’match’.
Its ad campaign follows a BBC Panorama programme on Monday (23 September), which found that of 122 price-matched products at Tesco, 37 contained at least five percentage points less of the main ingredient than Aldi’s, and only 12 contained at least five percentage points more.
Aldi CEO Giles Hurley alerted customers to the programme in a marketing email on Wednesday (25 September), saying it “revealed some eye-opening findings about supermarket price-matching”.
