Coke, Nestle, Others to Share Shipping Routes
as reported by Sustainable Life Media
June 19, 2008 –
Some of the U.K.’s biggest food and drink companies, including Coca-Cola,
Nestle, and Coors, have agreed to share space in shipping trucks in an effort
to reduce the costs and environmental impacts of product transport, Food
Production Daily reports.
The new Sustainable Distribution initiative, spearheaded by food industry
think-tank IGD, has so far attracted 37 corporate partners. The program will
remove about 800 delivery trucks from British roads and save 23 million liters
of diesel fuel this year, IGD estimates.
"In a highly competitive
industry, getting 37 companies working together in this way is very innovative
and results so far are impressive," says IGD president and CEO of Nestle
U.K. Alastair Sykes.
The truck-sharing scheme was piloted
last year by Nestle and United Biscuits, which have boosted efficiency in their
distribution networks by enlisting United Biscuits trucks to pick up a load of
Nestle products each day, reducing the number of empty truck runs. The concept
of supply chain collaboration – even among companies within the same industry –
appears to be gaining some acceptance. A recent report from the Global
Commerce Initiative recommends a new supply chain model in which companies work
together to improve environmental and social performance while cutting costs
and ensuring an uninterrupted supply line.
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