Coop Denmark is going to change the way it transports fruit and vegetables from Spain. Subject to a trial run, this will change from road to rail. The company's climate department did new calculations. These show this change could reduce the supermarket's transport carbon emissions from Spain to Denmark by no less than 65%.
Consumer choice is of great importance for Coop's climate impact. They, however, also want to offer this as environmentally-friendly as possible. So, the chain is considering other savings. These won't require any change on the consumer's part. That's why they're looking at the mode of product transportation. This is part of Coop's climate plan.
Peter Svendsen, Coop's climate director, says, "When it comes to the impact of the climate, we should eat as seasonally as possible. And fruits and vegetables grown outdoors. Spain is highly suited to that. So, the best we can do is focus on transport. If we switch from trucks to trains, we can save up to 65% (on CO2). We're going to test that now. We'll also see if it affects, for example, delivery quality."
The test began with grapes, which arrived in Coop Demark's stores in week 35. To clarify things for the shoppers, these grapes have stickers attached. They read, 'In the interest of the climate, I came by train'. Coops Klimapulje (Climate Fund) will pay any additional train transport costs. They have set aside several million Danish kroner for this. This fund is used to contribute to the company's climate goals and a climate-friendlier assortment. Consumers will, therefore, not pay more for these grapes.
The train will run under the name CoolRail. It's been specially designed to transport fresh produce from Southern to Northern Europe. In the test phase, the grapes will travel by train from Spain to Cologne, in Germany. If all goes well, the number of 'train products' will be expanded next year. The end destination will then also be in Denmark itself. This trial run forms part of Coop's climate strategy. It contributes to the goal of reducing product sales' climate impact by 1 million tons by 2030.
Source: via.ritzau.dk