When running at full capacity, the change will see up to 18,000 loads of CCEP’s products – some 2.5million cans and bottles of some of the world’s most popular soft drinks – delivered by rail per day, reducing carbon emissions by nearly 50% compared to previous road operations.
"As a business, we know that to reduce our overall carbon emissions, we need to work with our supply chain partners to continue making meaningful strides towards our business goals. The transition from road to rail forms an important part of our This is Forward sustainability strategy and our overall roadmap to net zero and means we can continue to meet the demand for our soft drinks in a way that is more beneficial to the environment," explains Francisco Javier Sanchez Gandarias, Vice President Customer Service and Supply Chain, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain.
The bottler has made the transition in partnership with Maritime Transport and GB Railfreight. It represents Maritime’s first Domestic Distribution intermodal service, which will see the movement of 34’ x 45’ heavily modified containers by rail six days per week, with Maritime’s distribution fleet making final mile deliveries to CCEP’s sites.
"Converting domestic cargo from road to rail is a key strategic development for us in our ambitions to reduce emissions. This important forward-focused initiative will further enhance Maritime’s logistics links whilst at the same time making them more resilient by significantly reducing the strain on both road networks and HGV driver retention by cutting road miles," adds Alex Williams, Managing Director - Distribution, Maritime Transport.
"We are delighted Maritime has approached us to run its very first Domestic Distribution intermodal service between Wakefield Europort and the Port of Tilbury’s London Container Terminal," says Julie Garn, General Manager, GB Railfreight.
The switch will save a total of almost 4 million road miles per year and remove a total of 15,000 lorry journeys from some of the UK’s busiest roads. When running at full capacity 31% of CCEP’s total product volume destined for Yorkshire will now be distributed via rail.
