Iceland Foods cuts home delivery fleet’s carbon emissions

Iceland is expected to cut the CO2 emissions of its home delivery fleet by more than 1,600 metric tonnes this year thanks to in-cab driver coaching technology.

Developed by Lightfoot, it manages emissions through its interactive in-vehicle tech, which engages with drivers in real-time on the road.

Following the roll-out of Lightfoot across its fleet of 1,645 vans, made up of Mercedes Sprinters and Ford Transit refrigerated vans, Iceland is now on target to save over 1,600 tonnes of CO2 this year.

That is the equivalent of removing 200 internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles from the roads and replacing them with electric vehicles (EVs), said Lightfoot.

The introduction of the telematics system has also resulted in a 13% increase in fuel savings and the virtual eradication of riskier styles of driving.

Instances of speeding have fallen by more than a third (36%), while harsh driving events – such as rapid acceleration and sharp braking – have fallen by almost half (43%).

Phil Cane, senior delivery operations manager at Iceland Foods, said: “Iceland is committed to reducing its impact on the environment.

“As the world’s first food retailer to join the climate pledge committing to be net zero carbon by 2040, we have a responsibility to find innovative ways to be better across the business, and that includes our home delivery fleet.

“Lightfoot was easy to implement, it’s simple to use, and it enables us to reduce emission levels on our fleet in an entirely different way.”

Lightfoot’s dashboard device nudges users to be better, motivating them with an end of journey score which helps them to maintain a consistent, smoother style of driving.

It is paired with a rewards app, which gives those achieving the Lightfoot ‘Elite Driver’ standard the chance to win everything from weekly tech and cash prizes, to £4,000 in the Elite Driver Championship.

Today, more than 98% of Iceland’s drivers achieve ‘Elite Driver’ status week-in and week-out, which has led to over 2,000 prizes being won by its team.

Before Lightfoot went live, just 15% of Iceland’s drivers drove in a way that would have hit the Lightfoot Elite Driver criteria.

Lightfoot has given Iceland the ability to directly recognise, reward and celebrate its drivers through prize draws of its own, generating healthy competition internally.

“By celebrating great performance by our drivers and engaging with them in a way that’s all about reward, our drivers are now self-managing and self-moderating,” continued Cane.

“That helps to generate a safer, happier, more motivated team of delivery drivers, which in turn brings business benefits including reduced costs, fewer accidents, and lower emissions.

“It’s a compelling win, win solution that helps us celebrate our team for the great job that they are doing.”

Lightfoot managing director, Paul Hollick, says it is great to see brands like Iceland taking the initiative to lower their carbon footprint.

“Time and again, our technology has shown that the driver behind the wheel is more important than what they're driving - after all, even the most environmentally friendly vehicles are only as good as the way they're driven,” he added.

“Iceland's drivers have embraced our tech from day one - they're now one of our best performing fleets - and that's made a huge difference to the amount of emissions being produced.”