Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Travis Perkins plc has announced that it will be scaling up its trial of using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a replacement fuel for diesel in vehicles.
This follows the recent publication of the company’s decarbonisation roadmaps to achieve the Group’s net zero ambition for its scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2035.
The HVO used is sustainably sourced and made from waste materials such as used cooking oils and other waste oils, and has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide by up to 90% compared to diesel. It also has the potential to reduce other emissions, including nitrogen oxide by up to 30% and particulates by up to 85%, and requires no modification to existing diesel engines.
Travis Perkins has been working with Green Biofuels Ltd (GBF) on the HVO trial since November 2021. It initially involved the installation of one HVO fuel tank in each of the Group’s merchant businesses, including the Travis Perkins merchant, civils specialist Keyline and providers of heating solutions, BSS, and insulation, CCF. Based on the success of the trial, the use of HVO will now be scaled up to cover 30 branches and support over 200 vehicles by the summer.
Travis Perkins has one of the largest fleets in the country, which accounts for over 70% of the Group’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions. The use of HVO therefore plays a crucial part in the company’s ambitious plan to decarbonise the business.
Alan Williams, Travis Perkins plc chief financial officer, said: “We are fully committed to lead in decarbonising. We have set ambitious SBTi* accredited targets that are challenging, but achievable, and will keep the carbon impact of both our business and supply chain consistent with the 1.5 degree pathway of the 2016 Paris Agreement to limit global warming. We have published clear roadmaps for the delivery of our plans, and HVO is a stepping stone in the implementation of our net zero carbon delivery. It complements the multiple initiatives we are putting in place to decarbonise our business so that we can start to offer zero-emission deliveries to our customers more quickly.
“HVO fuel is a great low carbon alternative component which will play an important role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from our vehicles until the infrastructure for electric vehicles improves and the development of more long-term solutions, such as hydrogen, becomes a reality.”
As outlined in the company’s fleet decarbonisation roadmaps, 2022 will also see Travis Perkins continuing to transition its forklifts to HVO and electric power, and provide alternative fuels to the company’s Tool Hire fleet to eliminate red diesel.
