PepsiCo has announced it has scaled the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) – used cooking oil – fuel across its supply chain in a move it says will save 2,650 tonnes in greenhouse emissions annually.
PepsiCo says, in partnership with AB Texel UK, the transportation of 240,000 tonnes of potatoes each year from British farmers to its Leicester site is now entirely powered by used cooking oil.
PepsiCo continues that the initiative will use 800,000 litres of HVO low-carbon fuel to replace diesel across approximately 2.6 million kilometres of truck journeys annually. The use of HVO fuel will also be expanded to the company’s transport operations in Scotland later in 2023, PepsiCo says. It expects this future expansion to reduce GHG emissions by another 5,000 tonnes annually.
The announcement follows PepsiCo’s introduction of the alternative fuel in 2022 for more than one and a half million kilometres of truck journeys moving product between the Quaker Oats mill in Cupar and its Leicester distribution centre.
HVO fuel plays an important role in helping us to accelerate the decarbonisation of our transport activities.
Every kilometre powered by HVO generates 80% less GHG emissions when compared with conventional diesel, PepsiCo says. By the end of 2023, PepsiCo expects to be using HVO to power around 9 million kilometres of journeys across the UK.
Simon Devaney, Sustainability Director, PepsiCo UK & Ireland, commented: “We’re always looking for innovative ways to tackle our carbon footprint and the move to HVO for all our potato deliveries to Leicester, the home of Walkers, is a significant step. HVO fuel plays an important role in helping us to accelerate the decarbonisation of our transport activities.”