A ‘renewable fuels assurance scheme’ (RFAS) has been launched for operators, giving them information about the environmental credentials of fuels being supplied in the UK.

Created by Zemo Partnership – formerly LowCVP – the RFAS provides fleets with clarity about the greenhouse gas (GHG) and sustainability performance of renewable fuels.

Zemo said a recent study found one barrier to uptake was the need for operators to have more information about renewable fuels, both for company carbon reporting and when making decisions about fleet decarbonisation.

Zemo said its RFAS approves companies supplying high blend renewable fuels on the basis of them meeting three performance criteria: lifecycle GHG emissions; feedstock sustainability and supply chain traceability.

The scheme is open to companies supplying renewable fuels for use in road vehicles and non-road mobile machinery, including biofuels and hydrogen.

Part of the scheme includes a renewable fuel declaration, which operators receive when they make a renewable fuel purchase.

This declaration includes a colour-coded GHG emission savings banding system to encourage operators to achieve higher GHG emissions savings.

Zemo said it piloted the scheme with renewable fuel suppliers and Argent Energy and CNG Fuels are now approved.

It is currently working with Green Biofuels, Air Liquide and Gasrec to enable their approval.

Gloria Esposito, Zemo head of sustainability, said: “It’s critical that technological interventions to tackle climate change live up to their billing and can demonstrate verifiable life cycle GHG emissions savings and strong sustainability performance in terms of their production.”

Justin Laney, fleet general manager at John Lewis Partnership said: “We’re in the process of switching John Lewis’s 600-strong fleet of diesel delivery trucks to run on biomethane.

“This assurance scheme will provide valuable, independent verification that the fuels we’re using to power our trucks meet the highest standards in terms of environmental sustainability and help maximise emissions reductions from our fleet.”

CEVA Logistics said it currently has 50 HGVs running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel in the UK and it has managed to eliminate more than 250 tonnes of carbon from its operations as a result. “The scheme provides us with reliable emissions data to confirm the success of this carbon reduction initiative,” said a spokesperson. “Reducing our carbon footprint is vital to future-proofing our business and ensuring we do our part to create a sustainable logistics industry.”

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