Under the agreement, FrieslandCampina and its logistics partners will switch to trucks powered by biomethane (bio-CNG) as vehicles are replaced, covering routes across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Around half of the fleet is expected to be converted to bio-CNG in the coming years.
Some of the biomethane will be produced from manure through anaerobic digestion, turning dairy farming by-products into renewable fuel for milk transport.
In Germany, FrieslandCampina member dairy farm Barver Landmilch in Lower Saxony already produces biomethane entirely using its own manure digester and has refuelling facilities on site. This allows trucks collecting milk in the region to refuel directly with locally produced bio-CNG.
There are also plans for further development of refuelling and charging infrastructure, enabling renewable fuels and low-emission vehicles to be used more widely across FrieslandCampina’s transport network.
“The strength of bio-CNG is that it creates a direct link between our member dairy farmers and our logistics operations. In future, milk can be transported using fuel that is partly produced by our own member dairy farms,” said Marcel Ebbelaar, Manager Milk Logistics & Transport at FrieslandCampina.
“This enables us to reduce transport emissions while also making the value chain more circular. It shows how collaboration within the cooperative can contribute to making our operations more sustainable.”
Mirco Schoemaker, director of Schoemaker Transporte, added: “Biomethane is currently one of the most practical and scalable solutions for substantially reducing CO₂ emissions from milk transport in the short term.”
Schoemaker added: “At the same time, switching to biomethane requires significant investment in both vehicles and refuelling infrastructure. Only by working closely together as partners across the value chain can we accelerate the transition towards more sustainable milk transport.”
Last month, FrieslandCampina revealed that four months of daily DHA supplementation significantly increased Omega-3 levels in semi-professional female soccer players.
