May 11, 2023
Sainsbury’s has made the announcement that the superstore it operates in Nine Elms, London is now employing an all-electric fleet to do customer deliveries.
Customers’ food shopping will be delivered without producing any emissions thanks to the introduction of new electric vans.
Because the truck itself and the refrigerator units are now powered by electricity, the Nine Elms delivery fleet will not release any carbon emissions or dust, filth, soot, or smoke into the atmosphere.
The fleet is comprised of 12 vans. This indicates that the 145,000 residents located within the delivery area of Sainsbury’s Nine Elms store will be able to get their grocery deliveries from vehicles that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions.
The new vehicles will also run considerably more quietly, which will contribute to the reduction of noise pollution in the towns they travel through.
Because Sainsbury’s Nine Elms makes over 2000 deliveries each week on average, travelling roughly 1760 miles, the new vans that are 100% electric will help save 57 tonnes of carbon annually while also contributing to a considerable reduction in the amount of air pollution in the surrounding area.
This shift is being made as part of the merchants’ transition to operating a totally electric fleet in each and every one of their locations by the year 2035, which is in keeping with their goals to reduce their carbon footprint.
Additionally, the new fleet will assist Sainsbury’s in meeting its objective to become carbon neutral across all of its operations by the year 2035.
Patrick Dunne, Director of Property & Procurement at Sainsbury’s said: “We’re always looking at how we can use the latest technology to best serve our customers, whilst also doing the right thing for the planet. We’re thrilled to have launched a fully electric fleet in our Nine Elms superstore and we hope our customers will be delighted to learn that their groceries are being delivered with zero emissions, helping to reduce the environmental impact of their online shopping. This is just the first step for us, as we have committed to rolling out electric vans across the country to all our stores by 2035.”
This builds on a series of improvements that the store has made to minimise the amount of energy it uses in its own operations and the amount of carbon dioxide it emits.
Sainsbury’s implemented LED lighting over its entire estate one year ago, which resulted in a reduction in lighting energy consumption of almost 70 percent on average. Sainsbury’s Innovation Investments, which will see a minimum of £5 million invested over the next four years into start-up enterprises commercialising innovative, sustainable technologies that strive to cut operational carbon emissions, was also announced by the company at the same time. Sainsbury’s runs entirely on renewable electricity at the moment, and the supermarket forecasts that by the end of 2023, up to forty percent of its power will originate from forms of wind and solar energy that have not yet been utilised on the planet.
*Based on the total litres of diesel saved in April 2023 at Nine Elms (1557.3 litres) which equates for a CO2 saving of 4.75t per month.
September 7, 2022
