DPD Ireland switching fleet to HVO biofuel

DPD Ireland has deployed Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a replacement fuel for diesel in its heavy goods vehicles as part of an ambitious drive to decarbonise its Irish fleet by 2030.

The parcel-delivery firm is leading the charge towards sustainable deliveries, having achieved the milestone of one million sustainable deliveries in August of this year.

The company is in the process of switching all its domestic line-haul routes to 100 per cent HVO in a bid to slash its emissions by 87 per cent, compared to 2020.

These line-haul routes carry parcels between DPD Ireland’s central sorting hub in Athlone and its 35 depots on the island of Ireland. This follows a successful trial of the biofuel which ran from June to September 2022.

Powering all domestic line-haul routes with this sustainable biofuel, DPD expects to reduce its emissions by over 4,350 tons CO2e per year versus a conventional diesel operation.

HVO is not available yet at commercial pumps, which is why DPD Ireland is installing dedicated HVO storage tanks on site at its central sorting hub in Athlone. Once complete, the company will be able to supply 100 per cent of its domestic line-haul routes on renewable HVO.

DPD Ireland chief executive Des Travers said the company began looking at alternative fuel options for its line-haul fleet after difficulty sourcing electric heavy goods vehicles.

“We’ve had HVO on our radar for several years. It has become imperative for our business to reduce our emissions which is why we are taking action,” he said.

“We are on a journey to become the most sustainable parcel delivery company in Ireland and this is just the next step for us. We will continue to overcome the challenges as we 100 per cent decarbonise our business.

“At full capacity, the company will be avoiding 16 tons of CO2 equivalent per day versus a fully diesel operation. This is due to the reduced well-to-wheel emissions that HVO offers,” Travers added.

DPD Ireland last year announced a further €2 million investment to decarbonise its Irish fleet with the addition of 100 new electric vehicles by the end of 2022. The company has already invested €3.2 million since 2019 in electric vans and infrastructure.