Reducing its CO₂ emissions, trade kitchen supplier Howdens has added electric lorries to its delivery fleet.

It forms part of the business’s latest step in its ‘Road to Zero’ roadmap, a commitment to achieve zero waste and emissions across all areas of the business.

The purchase of two 19-tonne trucks comes after Howdens’ recent announcement of the reduction of CO₂ across its fleet, achieved due to an increase in driver capability and efficiency.

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In 2022, Howdens also introduced Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a sustainable fuel.

Efficient driving, combined with the introduction of HVO fuel, has reportedly cut Howdens’ CO₂ emissions by 6% over the last year across its delivery fleet.

Head of transport at Howdens Gareth Sterland said: “We’ve made some very encouraging progress towards increasing the sustainability of our fleet over the past year, and the introduction of our new electric vehicles is a very key step in reducing our carbon footprint even further.

“We conducted a trial of the effectiveness of electric vehicles, and had some brilliant results, so we’re delighted to be bringing the vehicles in on a permanent basis.

“We are committed to implementing new sustainable practises, and improving our existing practises wherever possible. Everyone in the team is excited and committed to contributing to our Road to Zero roadmap.”

In January 2023, it was awarded a carbon-neutral certification from the Carbon Trust for its manufacturing sites in Howden and Runcorn.

Howdens has committed to work towards halving emissions by 2030 and to achieve net-zero by 2050, in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)