FrieslandCampina is bolstering its sustainability credentials through an alliance with seven transport companies in the Netherlands and Germany to cut carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from milk transport, DairyReporter reports.

Half the fleet on biomethane

Under the agreement, FrieslandCampina and its logistics partners will move to trucks running on compressed biomethane (bio-CNG) as vehicles come up for replacement, on routes across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Around half of the fleet is expected to switch to bio-CNG in the coming years.

Fuel from dairy farm manure

Part of the biomethane will come from manure via anaerobic digestion, turning dairy farming by-products into renewable fuel for milk collection.

In Germany, FrieslandCampina member farm Barver Landmilch in Lower Saxony already produces all its biomethane from its own manure digester and has an on-site refuelling station, so trucks collecting milk in the area can fill up directly with locally produced bio-CNG.

Further expansion of refuelling and charging infrastructure is also planned, allowing renewable fuels and low-emission vehicles to be used more widely across FrieslandCampina’s transport network.

A more circular value chain

«The strength of bio-CNG is that it creates a direct link between our member dairy farmers and our logistics operations. In future, milk can be transported using fuel that is partly produced by our own member dairy farms», said Marcel Ebbelaar, Manager Milk Logistics & Transport at FrieslandCampina.

«This enables us to reduce transport emissions while also making the value chain more circular. It shows how collaboration within the cooperative can contribute to making our operations more sustainable».

Investment and partnership

Mirco Schoemaker, director of Schoemaker Transporte, said:

«Biomethane is currently one of the most practical and scalable solutions for substantially reducing CO₂ emissions from milk transport in the short term».

«At the same time, switching to biomethane requires significant investment in both vehicles and refuelling infrastructure. Only by working closely together as partners across the value chain can we accelerate the transition towards more sustainable milk transport», Schoemaker added.

Last month, FrieslandCampina reported that four months of daily docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation significantly raised Omega-3 levels in semi-professional female footballers.

Source: DairyReporter