Even before it became a widely used term, CSR was woven into the DNA of our family business. Because to be also successful as a business ‘tomorrow’, sustainability must be your guide ‘today’. This has led to recent measures relating to shorter driving distances / more efficient routes, and investments in sustainable transport material, solar panels, improved insulation and LED lighting. The participation in, and recognition of, the Lean & Green programme (now two stars) is nice confirmation that we are still on the ‘green road’ today.
Because we contribute to client successes today and in the future, sustainability is a crucial part of our business strategy. At Bakker Logistiek, we were therefore one of the first businesses in the Netherlands to use trucks running on LNG. This stands for Liquefied/Liquid Natural Gas, which has considerably lower emissions than diesel. These trucks may cost more to purchase, but the environmental impact is significantly less. And after around 120,000 kilometres, the truck starts to recoup the investment because the fuel is much cheaper. So, a win-win situation.
LNG ensures a reduction in CO2 emissions which can be as much as 95% for bio-LNG. But the ’empty’ kilometres form a big source of wasted fuel in our sector. Our policy is therefore to operate with full trucks wherever possible. Electrification is also playing an increasing role, as is the future switch to hydrogen. Besides reducing the CO2 emissions, we replace conventional lights by LED lighting, recover heat and use green energy. As well as sustainability, the quality of our services and people’s safety are key to all our work.
‘Green’ is about more than choosing a cleaner fuel and better load factor. It is a mindset for and by the employees. Sustainability is a code of conduct which flows through the entire company. From the warehouse employees to the office employee and driver, everyone plays a part. For example, we all know that you must separate waste, not open a window above a heater and turn off the light in areas not in use. Things which are normal at home, but equally important at work. We make our employees aware of this too. Everyone is responsible for the impact that the company and the employees have on the environment and on each other.
The average range and charge time of an electric truck at this time is not yet sufficient in terms of time management to achieve the quality we strive to deliver. However, we are conducting pilots to explore the possibilities and analyse the required infrastructure. Such as installing enough charging stations at strategic (loading and unloading) places. We look forward to when we can gradually make our fleet more electric, and thus more economical and quieter. Until then, we look to solutions like hybrid driving: (bio) diesel on the road and switch to electric driving in towns.
