ITOCHU Corporation , ITOCHU ENEX Co., Ltd.  and FamilyMart Co., Ltd. announced today that they have facilitated the use of renewable diesel (RD) for delivery vehicles for convenience stores for the first time in Japan. This is being realized in cooperation with Neste OYJ, the world's largest renewable fuel producer. (Logo quoted from Yahoo’s image)

 

Itochu Group, being the first in Japan to use Renewable Diesel (RD) for road transport, aims to achieve a circular economy and a carbon-free society.

 

For this project, ITOCHU has concluded an RD import contract for its use in Japan with NESTE, and ITOCHU ENEX has built a series of supply chains related to RD transportation and fueling in Japan. In addition, from May, FamilyMart will start to use 100% RD as an alternative to light oil in some of the delivery vehicles at FamilyMart's distribution center in Yokohama City. 

 

It is the first time in the convenience store industry in Japan for delivery vehicles to be operated using RD as fuel, which can lead to reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the land transportation field.

 

NESTE is the world's biggest producer of renewable diesel as well as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), etc. Through collaboration with ITOCHU during the past few years, NESTE realized a supply of SAF to Japan in October 2020. Furthermore, to strengthen its initiative for realization of a circulating low-carbon society, it has decided to expand their business to the RD field.

 

NESTES’s RD is made from 100% renewable raw materials and realizes up to 90% reduction of GHG emissions compared with the petroleum-based light oil on a life-cycle assessment basis. RD is fully compatible with all diesel engines and an excellent solution for example for cargo trucks and buses.It is a "drop-in" fuel and does not need modification of the existing vehicle/fueling-related facilities to start its use. 

 

RD has already been commonly used mainly in Europe and the U.S.. As a future generation renewable fuel that can minimize the introduction cost related to decarbonization measures and greatly contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, expansion of its use is expected in the future land transportation field.


 

(IRuniverse)