Zero emission transport for goods
Our goal: by 2035, all freight transport for Colruyt Group will be carried out by vehicles that do not emit greenhouse gases. This applies to our own trucks as well as transport by partners and suppliers. In addition, we are making other efforts to make our freight transport more sustainable.
5 levers for sustainable freight transport
To make our freight transport more sustainable, we focus on 5 levers:
- Making our transport zero-emission.
- Avoiding unnecessary transport kilometres.
- Shifting to alternative modes of transport.
- Working towards safer and more courteous freight transport.
- Connecting with authorities, suppliers and manufacturers.
Zero emission transport by 2035
To reduce our emission of greenhouse gasses by 42% by 2030 (compared to 2021), we take on one of our biggest emission hotspots: transport. By 2030 we will make our own freight transport zero-emission: battery-electric or hydrogen-electric vehicles with no emissions at all. By 2035, we take the next step: our goods transport will run entirely on green electricity and hydrogen.
Collect&Go is also making considerable efforts to make the last kilometres to the customer more sustainable. In June 2024, our online grocery service started replacing all its CNG vans with electric models. At the Collect&Go pick-up point in Ghent, delivery drivers can use an electric cargo bike to deliver orders. Before that, our foodservice company Solucious had already invested in electric delivery with the purchase of 5 electric refrigerated trucks. Solucious uses these in Brussels. This makes deliveries in the city not only emission-free, but also quieter.
Together towards zero-emission
We do not only want to make the transfer towards zero emission transport for our fleet. We also want to involve our suppliers and transport partners on this journey. All the transport carried out by our drivers, suppliers, and transport partners for Colruyt Group will be completely emission-free by 2035. In concrete, it concerns the delivery of sales goods to our distribution centres, stores and customers.
Impact of zero emission transport
Around 1,200 trucks hit the road to supply our stores daily. Combined, our drivers cover up to 200,000 kilometres a day. That is five times around the earth. The zero emission transport will green all those kilometres. From 2035, if you buy a product from one of our stores, you will be sure that it has reached our shelves or gets delivered to your home completely emission-free.
Green hydrogen for heavy transport
We strongly believe in the potential of green hydrogen as a clean and renewable fuel. And we are taking a pioneering role in this area: we were the first in Europe to test heavy-duty prototypes and demonstration models*. From 2026, we will be working with our own hydrogen tractors.
Together with Virya Energy, we are helping to build the hydrogen infrastructure. In 2026, after extensive studies, we received permits for stations at three logistics sites (Dassenveld, Ollignies and Antwerp). They should be ready by the end of 2027.
* These tests are part of several European projects:
- Waterstof Regio 2.0: a project funded under the Interreg V programme Flanders-Netherlands, the cross-border cooperation programme with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund. More information at grensregio.eu.
- H2 Share: a project funded under the European cooperation programme Interreg North-West Europe. More information at nweurope.eu.
- H2Haul: an R&D project supported by the European Union to accelerate the introduction of hydrogen trucks in Europe. More information at h2haul.eu.
How do we realise zero emission transport?
For our fleet, we commit fully to battery-electric and hydrogen-electric zero emission vehicles, the first step towards our ambition.
To do this, we work together with Virya Energy, in which Colruyt Group has a 30% stake. Virya Energy has extensive expertise in the production of renewable energy and green hydrogen. Through DATS 24, part of Virya Energy, this is complemented by experience in charging solutions and hydrogen infrastructure.
We also want to share our expertise. To that end, we enter into dialogue with the transport partners that drive for us and our suppliers that directly sell and deliver goods to Colruyt Group.
Colruyt Group has been pioneering the electrification of transport for 19 years
An overview of the steps we took over the years
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We start our research into electric trucks for silent delivery.
How many years later can we put this into practice...?
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We build the first hybrid diesel-electric truck in Europe, but with limited operational use.
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We open our first hydrogen refuelling station (with on-site hydrogen production) for our forklift trucks at Dassenveld.
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Our first electric terminal tractor is in operation.
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- We launch our first internal Zero Emission Transport roadmap.
- We open our first public hydrogen refuelling station.
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We perform a test with the first 44-tonne hydrogen truck in the EU, developed by our partner VDL.
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The research we started in 2005 pays off! We are the first retailer to test silent delivery with a battery-electric 44-tonne truck.
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We make our ambitions for zero emission transport public.
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- We commission new, 100% electric vehicles: one 44-tonne truck and five refrigerated box trucks.
- We are now also using a new electric terminal tractor at our distribution centre in Ghislenghien.
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- At Dassenveld, a 350 kWe fast charger for electric lorries is put into use.
- Collect&Go now delivers with seven electric vans and one electric cargo bike. In Londerzeel, 20 vehicles can charge simultaneously at the new charging area.
- Nestlé and Colruyt Group go electric with a brand-new, 100% electric truck for inbound deliveries.
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- In January, we launched a pilot project with a new 44-tonne e-truck with a double axle. This allows the trailer to be loaded just as heavily as a conventional truck, despite the additional weight of the battery. The result: 100 extra journeys avoided every day.
- As part of the European H2Haul project, we will start using two 350 bar hydrogen trucks for our logistics from May.
- From June, we will switch our own trucks that still run on diesel to the biodiesel HVO100. This fully fossil-free and low-emission fuel will serve as a transition fuel, pending the full switch to battery-electric and hydrogen-electric transport
.jpg/jcr:content/renditions/CoGo%20DC%20Londerzeel%20elektrische%20bestelwagen%20(4).web.1920.1920.webp "CoGo DC Londerzeel elektrische bestelwagen (4).jpg")
Avoid unnecessary kilometres
To avoid unnecessary kilometres, we seek an optimal load factor of the lorries that deliver goods to our stores. We're able to do this thanks to centrally located distribution centres, smart transport planning, compact packaging and mixed transports. For example, we avoid transport with separate refrigerated lorries thanks to our refrigerated and frozen product containers with liquid ice. We also try to organise the transport flows from the suppliers to our distribution centres as optimally as possible, with a maximum load factor of the lorries.
load factor of the trucks supplying the Colruyt stores in the financial year 2025/26
less in the financial year 2025/26 thanks to barge transport in Belgium
Verschuiven naar alternatieve vervoersmiddelen
The transport of goods is scheduled as much as possible to times when it is not too busy on the road. For deliveries during off-peak hours, we use quiet trailers, low-noise transport pallets and covered unloading bays to avoid any inconvenience. We also encourage our suppliers to avoid peak moments on the road. In 2026, together with the City of Antwerp, we signed a charter for more dialogue on safer, quieter deliveries to city stores.
'Shift' also means that we opt for alternative, more environmentally friendly means of transport. More than half of the international goods for which we organise transports are carried out by train or ship. In Belgium too, we save on lorry trips by using barge transport: barges transport many containers from the Port of Antwerp to Willebroek.
Connecting with authorities, suppliers and manufacturers
To make our transport more sustainable, we often carry out tests with innovative technologies, new vehicle models, greener fuels, and more. Sometimes these fall outside the existing legal framework. In such cases, we actively engage with authorities at local, regional or federal level to obtain the necessary permits. In this way, we play a connecting role between the public and private sectors.
Recent examples include the permission granted by the Flemish government to use e-trucks that are longer than usual. Another example is the charter we signed together with the City of Antwerp, committing ourselves to safer and quieter deliveries in the city.
