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Rotterdam harbour
Brewer Bavaria
collaborates with
Heinz and Mars in
sustainable distribution
Dutch brewer Bavaria has signed an
agreement to ship its products jointly with
Heinz and Mars via inland waterways
in a new initiative designed to cut CO2
emissions.
Exports of beer coming into the UK are
shipped in 45ft containers aboard river
barges that head to the port of Rotterdam
every day, and the size of the waterways
in Europe makes transport by barge a
more sustainable solution if the volumes
being shipped are large enough.
By sharing the barge with confectionary
from Mars and ketchup from Heinz,
the full load ensures the environmental
impact of distribution is significantly
reduced for the three companies.
Bavaria UK managing director Mike
Teague commented: "In recent years,
Bavaria has undertaken a range of
measures to reduce emissions associated
with transportation".
The brewer also sends its beers across
Europe by train and was the first brewer
in Europe to switch its distribution fleet
to trucks that meet the low-emission
European standards.
Teague said: "We have to accept that the
more we sell in the UK, the more we have
to ship from Holland…We do everything
we can to ensure our beers are sustainable.
And that includes the shipping methods."
