Sainsbury’s has introduced fully electric refrigerators for its delivery fleet as part of its £1 billion green push.

The supermarket claims the electric fridges do not produce carbon emissions, dirt and smoke particles, and that they are noise free.

Sainsbury’s said the new technology adds charge back into the vehicle’s battery by converting kinetic energy into electricity, cooling the fridges onboard and reducing energy consumption.

In January 2020, Sainsbury’s committed to investing £1 billion over twenty years towards becoming a Net Zero business across its own operations by 2040.

UK retailers have cut their carbon emissions 49 per cent since 2005, exceeding their target of 25 per cent, according to statistics released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in May.

The research found that carbon emissions fell 46 per cent in-store and 84 per cent for store deliveries, when adjusted for growth.

“Following a successful trial earlier this year, we are pleased to introduce this pioneering technology as part of our delivery fleet,” said Patrick Dunne, director of property, procurement and cost transformation at Sainsbury’s. “As we look to the future we will continue to invest in testing and trialling to make our fleet more efficient and greener, creating energy at the same time.”

He added: “We will continue to introduce fully electric refrigerated trailers to the delivery fleet over the next 20 years based on Sainsbury’s and Argos’s energy infrastructure, helping us to plan for a better future.”

Transport minister Rachel Maclean said: “It’s brilliant to see an iconic British business embrace this pioneering technology as we all strive towards a zero-emission future.”

She added: “We want the UK at the forefront of the electric revolution, and this government is investing £1.3 billion to help build the best infrastructure in the world.”

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