Grocery think tank IGD has unveiled an online toolkit that aims to help manufacturers save money and encourage sustainability.
The Sustainable distribution toolkit was launched last week at IGD’s supply chain summit Delivering in turbulent times. It includes a users’ 'guide to consolidated distribution’ and a savings calculator - an interactive tool which can be used as a means of reducing road miles individually or by assessing the viability of shared transport resources.
“The calculator is particularly useful,” said Ian Keilty, development director at wholesaler Booker, “especially when you’re selling the use of collaborative partnerships to your organisation - because you have figures at hand. Lowering carbon dioxide levels is like gold dust to a corporate social responsibility team.”
The toolkit has been developed as part of the IGD’s Efficient Consumer Response’s (ECR’s) sustainable distribution project. It aims to reduce the environmental impact of transporting food and groceries in the UK by taking 900 lorries off UK roads - equivalent to 53M miles.
Two other functions were made available within the online toolkit last month. These included a ‘transport collaboration guide’ and a ‘sustainable transport roadmap’, which is designed to help food manufacturers identify potential partners in their area.
Speaking at the conference, IGD president and Nestlé UK chief executive, Alastair Sykes said: “Through ECR, Nestlé was able to identify that United Biscuits was running empty trucks from close to Nestlé’s factories in the north to the Midlands. If you had said to us in the beginning that we would be sharing the same delivery vans as our direct competitor, I would have laughed.
“But, through the initiative, United Biscuits trucks now collect a load of products each day from Nestlé’s factories in York and Halifax and deliver them to the Midlands, generating significant environmental and cost savings.”
Previously Nestlé UK would deliver over 15 loads a day from its factories in the north of England to its distribution centre. But 20% of these loads could not be tied to a return journey so two or three trucks each day would return empty.
Other firms involved in the ECR project include Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coors, Dairy Crest, Heinz, Kellogg, Müller Dairy, Northern Foods, PepsiCo, Premier Foods, Robert Wiseman and Unilever.