Here at Nestlé, we have been busy behind the scenes with our ‘Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages by Rail’ project. The operation sees our Buxton water delivered via rail to several of our customers in the South East, in partnership with P&O Ferrymasters.
Our products need to travel right across the UK and we are finding ways to do this more sustainably. One of our longer supply routes is taking Buxton water, bottled in Derbyshire, to our customer base in the South East. Through the project, we have switched road transport to rail freight for the longest leg of the journey.
From Trafford Park in Manchester, Buxton water travels by train to Tilbury in Essex, ready to be distributed to our customers in the South East.
From road to rail
Increasing the use of rail transport is a key element of our sustainable transport strategy as Nestlé has made the commitment to halve our emissions by 2030. Evidence from the Rail Delivery Group shows that a tonne of rail freight emits 76% less CO2 than a tonne of road freight. Opting for rail over road transport also helps to reduce congestion, as one freight train can remove up to 76 Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) from the road.*
What’s more, switching the method of transportation for water from our Buxton site doesn’t change our customers’ experience – orders will be managed as they are currently for road transport, with no changes required to sizes, frequency, or order lead times. By utilising this new way of working, we are replacing road miles for a more sustainable alternative, while maintaining efficiency of our available modes of transport.
We’ve created a specific rail plan to collaborate with our customers and strategic partners, but in the longer term we want to reduce barriers to entry and ensure the benefits of rail freight can be shared with a larger number of our customers. The rail journey from Trafford Park to Tilbury is one of a series of rail freight journeys that we hope to integrate into the Nestlé supply chain.
Start of a journey
Ultimately, rail needs to be integrated as part of a broader sustainable transport plan, as there are still some journeys that inevitably will continue to be made by road. By leveraging rail for long-distance mileage, we can maximise the benefits of both modes.
There is work to be done to ensure that the benefits of rail freight can be realised by FMCG businesses like ours and we hope that our perseverance will help transform the industry and incentivise investment.
Keeping on track
The rail freight industry in Great Britain delivers substantial economic, environmental and social benefits, as it supplies £30bn of goods to customers across Britain each year and produces less local air pollution than road transport.* At Nestlé, we are keen to expand our work with this cornerstone of the supply chain.
The ‘Nestlé Waters & Premium Beverages by Rail’ project marks a notable development in Nestlé’s commitment to halve its emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. We’re on the right track, but there’s a potential to be explored for rail to play an even more significant role as part of a broader sustainable transport strategy.
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