Supermarket chain Aldi has said it is trialling an all-electric refrigerated trailer in its UK fleet, as the company continues to find ways to reduce its carbon footprint as part of wider environmental impact improvement measures.
The low-price food retailer said the trailer converts kinetic energy into electricity to power the on-board batteries as the truck’s wheels turn, which means the products are kept cool and energy consumption is reduced.
Aldi reported that the refrigerated trailer can be plugged into the electric point at its regional distribution centre in Cheshire. According to the grocer, the trailer emits zero carbon emissions and particulate matters such as smoke, dust and other substances that are damaging to the environment, while also providing a less noisy operation.
Other efforts Aldi is making to improve the environmental footprint of its transportation include trialling fossil fuel alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas and hydrotreated vegetable oil.
The major grocers in the UK, including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons, have all made respective announcements about the need to find alternative power sources for their fleets.
Aldi said its refrigerated trailers will also be fitted with solar mats to help power them, as well as to track the solar energy and CO2 savings they create. Currys is another retailer investing in solar power to help run its distribution fleet.
Liz Fox, corporate responsibility director at Aldi UK, commented: “We want to do as much as possible to reduce our environmental impact.
“That’s why we have been carbon neutral since January 2019 and use energy from renewable sources. This latest step forms part of this commitment.”
She added: “We already have effective energy efficiency systems in place and are pleased to be taking this one step further by trialling the latest technology within our transport fleet.”
[Image credit: Aldi UK]
