Sustainability in transport
For more than 30 years, we have been committed to sustainable transport. The pillars of health, safety and environment are an important part of our corporate culture and services. In the goals for these pillars, we continuously strive for progress. That is why we are always improving our operations and actively involve our employees in everything. Our slogan is not for nothing ‘Leading the way in sustainability’. Our Lean and Green policy, our ISO 14083 certification, the use of sustainable fuels and the Sustainable Development Goals make a major contribution to achieving our goals.
Emissions reduced
Solar panels
CO2 Reduction compared to fossil fuel
Totale reductie
3 lean and green europe stars achieved since 2010
Lean & Green
Vos Transport Group holds three Lean & Green Stars. We achieved the first in November 2013 as we managed to reduce the CO2 emissions of our entire fleet by over 20.7%. The second Star followed in 2017 as a reward for our sustainability initiatives, such as intermodal transport, the use of alternative fuels and the installation of 1,300 solar panels at our Deventer office. In the years that followed, we continued to improve. In 2020, we were honoured to receive the third Star. This makes us the first European carrier with three Stars. We achieved a reduction of no less than 9.6% instead of the requested 5%. In the years that followed, we succeeded in continuing to reduce further through a constant focus on optimal loading, reduction of empty kilometres and innovative projects in the field of electric driving, autonomous transport and hydrogen transport. Our ultimate goal is to operate completely carbon neutral.
ISO certification
We have an ISO 14083 certification. This international standard provides guidelines for calculating and reporting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport and logistics sector. ISO 14083 provides a standardised approach for:
- Calculating CO2 emissions and other GHGs.
- Transparent reporting of emissions across the logistics chain.
- Supporting companies in identifying emission reduction opportunities.
This standard helps us not only comply with regulations but also improve our environmental performance and contribute to broader sustainability goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable Development Goals
Vos Transport Group’s sustainability policy follows the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. For us, this relates to six of these goals:
Sustainable cities and communities
Together with Gemeente Deventer and other partners, we are looking at developing a Smart City Hub to sustainably supply the city centre. We are also involved in the GROWH consortium (GReen Oxygen, Hydrogen and Wasteheat). With Hydrogen, we promote regionally sustainable mobility and with Wasteheat we partially provide homes or companies with heat.
Responsible consumption and production
This is woven into our corporate culture and is expressed through investments in sustainable innovative techniques and resources, but also in the company philosophy and personal conduct, as laid down in the code of conduct.
Climate action
We invest in innovative techniques to reduce CO2 emissions, such as intermodal transport, use of HVO100, development of hydrogen trucks, sustainable warehousing and our own container terminal. We are also involved in Operation Clean Sweep and Lean & Green certified.
Quality education
For years, we have been the regular transport partner for Nationaal Fonds Kinderenhulp and Kinderzwerfboek and have a strong partnership with the education sector. We structurally invest in training our employees, offer learning paths and participate in the development of training offers.
Fair work and economic growth
We do not accept gifts and gratuities for personal or business benefits and conduct business fairly and honestly. This does not include fraud, money laundering, bribery and corruption. We respect fundamental human rights and working conditions and speak out clearly against discrimination, exploitation, forced labour and child labour.
Good health and well-being
We are committed to creating a safe and healthy working environment. We expect employees and suppliers to perform all work properly and safely. The use of alcohol and drugs is prohibited. Behaviour Based Safety is part of the policy; positively influencing behaviour through observation, coaching, and communication.
Sustainable fuels
Using sustainable fuels helps us reduce emissions from our trucks. We use HVO100, hydrogen and drive electrically more and more often.
HVO100
Currently, a large proportion of our trucks runs on HVO100 (biodiesel), of which we are the largest customer. HVO stands for ‘Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil’. This type of diesel fuel is produced from hydrogen-treated vegetable oils and residual waste, such as animal fats. The ‘100’ behind HVO indicates that it is a high-quality sustainable diesel in its purest form (100%).
Hydrogen
We are one of the first Dutch transport companies to invest in hydrogen trucks. In 2025, two of them will be on the road. The first is built at VDL Special Vehicles and uses Toyota’s fuel cell technology. The second is built by Zepp Solutions and is part of the DREAM2HAUL project. Initially, we will deploy the trucks on short routes to gain experience with the fuel and technology. In time, we will expand this to longer international routes.
Electric driving
Besides using HVO100 and hydrogen for our trucks, we will increasingly use electric driving from 2025 onwards. This will contribute to our goal of becoming fully CO2-neutral.
Sustainable transport with Vos Transport Group
Would you like more information about our sustainability policy and the sustainable transport options we offer? Then you can always contact us. Vos Transport Group would like to work with you on a sustainable future!
