Toby Peters, the founder of a clean tech firm, Dearman, has warned that London’s increasing reliance on fresh food bought online and home-delivered by diesel-powered trucks, is making the air pollution situation in the capital worse.
Mr Peters spoke out after a new report found refrigerated delivery trucks “emit disproportionate amounts of toxic pollutants”.
Mr Peters, whose company is already working with Sainsbury’s to trial a new zero-emission lorry, said supermarkets must act to reduce their reliance on diesel fleets to improve air quality.
The report, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Dearman and the Clean Air Alliance pressure group, found refrigerated truck journeys to London homes and supermarket depots emitted the annual equivalent exhaust fumes of a car driving 2.4 million laps around the M25.
Pollution being pushed into London’s skies from delivery lorries is often worsened by a second diesel engine used to power large on-board fridges.
It is claimed that these diesel-powered fridges storing fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish can emit nearly 30 times as much toxic particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide than a lorry engine.
Commenting on the report, Mr Peters said: “The way we buy food is changing by the day. Supermarkets are delivering our weekly shop to our door, we’ve seen a boom in convenience stores and we are eating more and more chilled food.
“All that requires more polluting, diesel-powered refrigerated trucks on the streets where we live. But if we are going to clean up the air we breathe, we have to tackle the most polluting diesel engines first — and that includes the ones that keep our food cold.”
As part of Dearman’s Sainsbury’s trial, they have built the world’s first delivery truck with a zero emissions air-cooled refrigeration unit powered by liquid nitrogen.
The vehicle is undergoing a three-month test, during which it is expected to save up to 1.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide, 37kg of nitrogen oxides and 2kg of particulates.
