Europa Road operates daily linehauls from Netherlands to UK on 100% renewable diesel

Photo: Europa Road

Transportation company Europa Road recently announced a new contract with DPD Netherlands, which will see the introduction of 100 percent hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO100), also known as renewable diesel, replacing petroleum diesel on new routes for the operator.

In support of the drive to increase the sustainability of its operations, Europa Road is operating new, daily linehauls from the Netherlands to the U.K. for DPD Netherlands, which will run exclusively on HVO100.

This strategic transition comes at a time when EU countries and the U.K. are announcing new targets for the road-freight industry as a part of the Emissions Trading System, which calls for operators to bring emissions down by 42 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels.

DPD Netherlands recently welcomed the plans of its parent company, GeoPost/DPD Groups, for a net-zero commitment by 2040, which is 10 years ahead of the climate-agreement requirements.

This commitment highlights the company’s goal for a greener, more sustainable operation.

The Dutch operation is on track to meet these targets with DPD previously announcing it would deliver emission-free in the 45 largest cities in the Netherlands by 2025.

As the U.K.’s dedicated European road-freight division for fast-growing logistics operator Europa Worldwide Group, Europa Road is making progress developing and implementing its own environmental agenda, despite the massive challenges for the logistics industry.

Stuart McKie, the regional manager for Europa Road, explained how the company plans to adopt the use of HVO100 on DPD movements.

“Phase 1 of the implementation is for the e-commerce linehauls flowing from Netherlands (Eindhoven) to the U.K. (Hinckley),” McKie said. “This consists of two trailers per day, five days a week. We have committed to replacing 30,000-kilometers worth of diesel fuel with HVO100, a major condition of this important new contract with DPD Netherlands.”

According to Nationwide Fuels, HVO100 fuel reduces carbon-dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent, particulate-matter emissions by up to 84 percent and NOx emissions by up to 27 percent.

“I have been in this business for over 15 years, and what I am most excited about right now is our journey to transition away from fossil fuels,” said Maurice Loef, the linehaul director for DPD Netherlands. “Currently, our Netherlands-to-U.K. operation completes more than 176,000 kilometers per year. I predict that by the end of [the second quarter of this year], 50 percent of all linehauls out of DPD Netherlands will be running on HVO fuel. I am happy that Europa Road will be operating two full loads a day from the Netherlands to the U.K., which represents 1,300 kilometers a day, or 350,000 kilometers per year on HVO fuel.”

Europa said its new contract marks the next step in its sustainable journey as the operator works with various environmental experts to ensure the actions taken create a long-lasting and impactful benefit.

In 2023, Europa announced its partnership with Microlise, the cutting-edge telematics and fleet-management solution and with Pledge—a leading greenhouse-gas reporting and offsetting platform for logistics. 

“With more exciting news to follow later in the year, today’s announcement forms the basis of a strong and collaborative force for good between two giants in the European road-freight industry,” Europa stated.