Food waste to fuel trucks at Sainsbury's

Sainsbury’s is transforming food waste into fuel for a number of its HGV trucks. 

From March, the initiative will see biofuel produced directly from Sainsbury's food waste power 30 trucks at its Emerald Park distribution centre in Bristol, half the site’s fleet. 

This, says the supermarket giant, will save more than 3,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to the yearly electricity consumption of 1,950 households.

Waste processor RenEco currently works with Sainsbury's to turn food waste that can’t be donated or used for animal feed into biogas via anaerobic digestion. 

This circular system will now use the output of this anaerobic digestion, the biogas, to create a liquid biofuel suitable for HGVs. 

Unlike traditional methods that mix certified biomethane with non-renewable gases, this system ensures all fuel comes directly from Sainsbury’s waste. 

The circular system also allows for precise tracking of carbon emission reductions, contributing to Sainsbury’s scope 1 and 2 emission reduction target. 

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s chief property and procurement officer, says the announcement underscores the power that collaboration has in driving “impactful change across business”. 

“We are proud to have worked closely with our supplier RenEco to deliver a pioneering move that supports our commitment to circularity and helps us to take a further step towards becoming net zero across our operations by 2035,” he added.