Prominent detergent and soap manufacturing giant, Unilever Australia has announced it has started working with zero emission transport operator, New Energy Transport as its inaugural EV commercial freight partner.
As part of the deal, New Energy is introducing a Volvo electric heavy duty prime mover for selected deliveries from Unilever’s Ingleburn warehouse to customer sites across Sydney.
Unilever says this is part of its transition towards net zero emissions across its value chain by 2039.
It says that the partnership with this first truck marks an important step in understanding how electric transport can meet the reliability and service expectations of an FMCG supply chain in Australia.
NET says it will provide Unilever with the Volvo electric prime mover along with ongoing operational support, and says that this reflects a broader momentum in the sector as electrification becomes economically and operationally viable.
The companies say that the EV will operate on selected transport routes within Unilever’s customer network in Sydney.
Unilever says that renewable energy now provides more than a third of electricity in NSW, and added that this is more than triple that of a decade ago.
It added that this supports the target of the 20 year plan for the NSW Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, which specifies at least 12GW of new renewable electricity generation by 2030.
The company says that private EV uptake of has also increased significantly over the past four years, rising from less than 4 per cent to more than 20 per cent recently.
Unilever ANZ’s head of corporate affairs and sustainability, Brooke Sprott, said that decarbonising heavy freight transport is one of the most complex challenges in our supply chain, and it’s not something any company can solve alone.
“That’s why we are proud to be a foundation partner of New Energy Transport and utilise its first heavy electric prime mover in Australia,” said Sprott.
“This partnership is an important step in accelerating progress towards net zero emissions across our value chain,” Sprott added.
“This reflects Unilever’s broader leadership in decarbonisation, supported by operational emissions reductions already in place across our Australian factories through energy efficient initiatives.”
New Energy Transport’s Co-CEO Fredrik Pehrsson said the company is proud to be partnering with Unilever and Volvo to make electric heavy road freight a reality in Australia.
“This is a major milestone as we take the keys to our first truck and bring our first customer onto the road,” Pehrsson said.
“Volvo is a pioneers in high-quality heavy electric prime movers and with Unilever on board, we couldn’t have asked for a better foundation customer,” he said.
“Unilever is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies, and its decision to put electric trucks to work in Sydney is an example of real leadership,” he added.
“Electric road freight means lower costs, greater reliability and a real cut in emissions, and it’s brands like Unilever that will drive the shift at scale, decarbonising their supply chains while delivering greater efficiency.
“There’s real momentum building and we’re proud to see our first electric truck hit the road carrying essential consumer goods for Unilever, ” Pehrsson said.
Unilever claims it is already expanding the use of alternative fuels and electric vehicles globally, with initiatives like this supporting the transition to lower-emissions logistics across its global supply chain.
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care and foods, and operates in more than190 countries, with 96,000 employees and annual sales of more than sales of $AUD83 billion globally last year. In Australia and New Zealand it employs more than 500 people, with offices in Sydney and Auckland and manufacturing facilities at North Rocks and Tatura.
Unilever’s key brands include Dove, Rexona, Lynx, Vaseline, OMO, Surf, Comfort, Sunsilk, TreSemmé, Continental and Hellmann’s.
New Energy Transport claims that it’s a vertically integrated trucking company, which combines low-cost renewable energy and electric trucks to deliver zero-emission heavy road freight.
The company says its business model couples charging infrastructure, onsite renewable energy and batteries with renewable energy from the wholesale electricity market to deliver lower cost, zero emission road freight and that it is building a network of strategically located charging depots along the Australian eastern seaboard, enabling the company to deliver interstate zero-emission freight services.
