BWG announces major sustainability investment programme

Willie O’Byrne, MD, BWG Foods, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, TD, and Joanne Mellon, logistics director, BWG Foods, inspect BWG's new CNG trucks

BWG has become the first FMCG Group to launch fleet of natural gas delivery vehicles, significantly reducing its carbon footprint, as part of a multi-million euro sustainability investment programme.

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BWG Foods has announced a major sustainability investment programme aimed at significantly decreasing the environmental footprint of its large-scale nationwide supply chain.

As part of the investment programme, BWG has become the first FMCG group to launch a fleet of CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles, following an initial investment of more than €2 million in 14 new trucks along with supporting infrastructure. The group has further plans to extend its investment in CNG vehicles to 50 vehicles by 2025.

BWG Foods’ delivery operation involves approximately 280 vehicles, which cover a combined 25 million kilometres per year. The new CNG vehicles are currently generating C02 savings of up to 22 percent per truck. Each will complete approximately 120,000 kilometres over the next 12 months, with each truck saving 7.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the process.

Also as part of the supply chain sustainability programme, BWG Foods’ projects have already led to collective Co2 emission savings of 3,200 metric tonnes, including a re-routing programme which led to the reduction of more than 2.3 million kilometres travelled annually, and the increasing of individual delivery vehicle capacity by 15 percent, further reducing the number of journeys required.

Other investments as part of the project include a €3 million investment in LED and sensor lighting across BWG Foods’ retail network, and the rollout of solar panels across the branded retail network.

Willie O’Byrne, managing director, BWG Foods said the focus is to create an environmentally sustainable business that makes a positive contribution to the communities in which it operates. “This announcement is a statement of our intent to substantially reduce the environmental impact of our operation,” he said. “Also, it complements a number of other sustainability initiatives that we have launched at store level including energy, waste and plastic reduction programmes.”

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