PRESS RELEASE

Royal Koopmans leads the way to sustainability with the first Nedertarwe barge sailing on HVO100 biofuel

With an impressive 85% CO2 reduction

February 22, 2024 – Leeuwarden, the Netherlands

Royal Koopmans, specialist in innovative ingredients from grain, has taken a historic step towards a more sustainable future with the launch of the first Nedertarwe barge to sail on sustainable HVO100 biofuel. This milestone marks not only a revolutionary shift in the shipping industry, but also in food production, where sustainability is becoming increasingly important.

Partnership for Sustainability
This groundbreaking choice was made possible thanks to close cooperation with progressive partners in the grain chain, including fuel supplier REINPLUS FIWADO Bunker which is part of VARO Energy, inland shipping cooperation NPRC, grain collector CZAV, and NPRC member VOF Sympathy Shipping. By jointly investing in a more sustainable future, Royal Koopmans connects its partners in the chain based on a shared vision and intrinsic motivation to contribute to a healthy and sustainable world.

Dirk Lodewijk, CEO of Royal Koopmans, emphasized the importance of these collaborations and initiatives. “Royal Koopmans is taking the lead by connecting its partners in the chain based on a shared vision and intrinsic motivation. That includes the skippers. With this, we serve an ever-growing group of consumers who choose brands and products in which a transparent and sustainable food chain becomes visible and tangible.”

Impressive CO2 reduction
The choice of HVO100 (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) as a biofuel offers an impressive CO2 reduction of more than 85% compared to conventional diesel, which has a major impact on reducing the carbon footprint. Made from residual vegetable oils and fats or used frying fat, this renewable biofuel contributes to a cleaner and more sustainable logistics sector, including inland navigation.

Step towards emission-free shipping
Robert van Vliet, Commercial Development Manager at NPRC, stressed the importance of this innovative step: “The NPRC works together with chain partners and affiliated barge owners to find sustainable solutions in zero-emission waterborne transportation. These are solutions focused on the long term. The biggest change that can already be made in the short term is sailing on biofuels such as HVO.”

Ben van Kol, Director of Bunkering at VARO Energy: “This initiative shows how Royal Koopmans is leading the way and bringing together parties along the chain. In this way we are jointly paving the way towards greener and cleaner inland shipping. It fits perfectly with our ambition and goals as VARO Energy to be the energy transition partner by delivering energy solutions with low or no CO2 emissions.”

By sailing on HVO100, the total Nedertarwe transport by barge saves as much as 44,363.2 kg of CO2 equivalent to the amount of CO2 from nearly 65 airplane trips from Amsterdam to Rome. This initiative contributes to the ambition to already achieve a 35-50% reduction in CO2 in inland shipping by 2023 and to be emission-free and climate-neutral by 2050, as laid down in the Green Deal Seagoing, Inland Shipping and Ports.

Sustainable Nedertarwe: a Powerful Contribution
Dutch wheat, grain sources from Dutch soil and grown sustainably by progressive farmers, is at the heart of this initiative. By combining craftsmanship and passion with top quality food ingredients, Royal Koopmans contributes to improving biodiversity, soil health and reducing environmental impact and CO2 emissions.