- Transport totes based on the principle of thermos flasks enable stable temperatures for chilled and frozen foods
- Delivery in e-transporters with only one loading space for different temperature ranges is possible
- The highly insulated vacuum transport totes are reusable and fully recyclable
Würzburg, July 31st, 2024. The Online Grocery Business is growing. In selected European countries, it already accounts for around six percent of total sales (Germany: 2.9 percent). But how sustainable are grocery home deliveries? Transportation to the customer is an important factor in assessing sustainability. With highly insulated transport totes that work on the principle of a thermos flask, e-transporters can now be used for this without active cooling. Dispensing with the usual dry ice used to cool frozen food is also possible. Dry ice is solid CO2, which is energy-intensive to produce. With vacuum-insulated passive totes and e-transporters, grocery home deliveries become more climate-friendly and sustainable.
“A climate and environmentally friendly diet depends primarily on the production of food, but also on its transportation to the customer. For home deliveries, we are now making the so-called last mile much more sustainable. Our technology significantly reduces the energy required for transportation and enables the efficient use of e-transporters,” says Marc Moelter, Head of Sales Food at va-Q-tec.
E-transporters achieve optimal utilization
For reasons of sustainability and rising fuel costs, the use of electric vans for home deliveries is increasing. However, active cooling during transportation is energy-intensive and would put a strain on the traction battery at the expense of range or require an additional battery to be installed. Highly insulated transport totes solve the problem, as active cooling during transportation is no longer necessary.
Grocery deliveries are carried out in three different temperature ranges: Frozen, Fresh, Dry. Passive refrigeration enables the transport of products of different temperature ranges in a delivery vehicle with just one compartment, thus creating optimum vehicle utilization. Multi-chamber refrigerated vehicles become superfluous. The transport totes are prepared for the desired temperature range or the already chilled food is simply placed in the tote. The vehicles can then be loaded with transport totes at different temperatures, resulting in efficient and cost-saving utilization.
Reusable totes reduce packaging waste
The vacuum-insulated totes can be used for temperature-controlled transportation between -30 °C and +70 °C. The totes can also withstand higher temperatures in the short term, which also makes it possible to transport hot food. In terms of sustainability, reusability is another important criterion. The material used for the vacuum totes is easy to clean and the totes are very stable in their construction. If a tote is damaged, individual components can be replaced or the entire tote can be fully recycled.
“Transport totes for food, which are used on a daily basis, must be dishwasher-safe, quick and easy to stack. That’s why our va-Q-trays have standard sizes according to the European standard. This means that the transport totes are not only sustainable, but also cost-saving and easy to integrate into existing logistics processes,” says Marc Moelter, Head of Sales Food at va-Q-tec.
va-Q-tec has published a white paper on the cost comparison of various solutions for grocery home deliveries, which can be downloaded from the company website at the following link: https://www.va-q-tec.com/en/infocenter/publications/cost-efficient-cold-chains/