Yodel is working with Certas Energy to use Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as an alternative to diesel to fuel its fleet of shunters.

HVO is a drop-in diesel alternative manufactured from 100% renewable and sustainable waste.

Yodel says it provides a cleaner way to fuel commercial fleets and offers an instant reduction of CO2 emissions, alleviating the need for changes to infrastructure and machinery, which can take several years and delay environmental benefits.

The switch to HVO will include Yodel’s shunter vehicles across the three sorting centres in Shaw, Wednesbury and Hatfield, with plans for a broader roll out across its fleet in the future.

Carl Moore, chief operating officer at Yodel, said: “Innovation and looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment is, and continues to be, a top priority for us.

“By partnering with Certas Energy to roll out HVO across our shunter fleets, we will be able to reduce our CO2 emissions instantly with no disruption to our services.

“We continue to look for new ways of reducing our carbon footprint, and we’re looking forward to improving our practices further.”

Jamie Hodges, head of business development at Certas Energy, explained that as an alternative to diesel, HVO is becoming a popular transition fuel for businesses operating commercial fleets and looking to reduce their carbon footprint “responsibly and efficiently”.

“We’re extremely proud to be partnering with Yodel and working together to support the next step of their sustainability journey,” he said.

The announcement follows research from Yodel last year which outlined that the environmental impact of deliveries was front of mind for consumers, with over half (53%) of 18–34-year-olds saying they would be more inclined to purchase from a retail brand who used a carbon-conscious delivery partner.