Wholesaler JW Filshill to work with ScottishPower to turn vehicle fleet green

Food and drink wholesaler JW Filshill has signed an agreement with ScottishPower to look at turning its vehicle fleet green.

The Glasgow-based group is one of the country’s longest established wholesalers, supplying scores of KeyStore convenience outlets across Scotland and the north of England.

The partnership struck with the Scottish energy giant could see some 35 vans and lorries powered by green hydrogen and electrification. Over the course of a year, this could remove an estimated 1,100 tonnes of CO2 from roads.

Unveiling the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two businesses, Keith Geddes, chief financial and operating officer at JW Filshill, said: “Filshill continues to work towards reducing our carbon footprint and reaching our goal of becoming net zero.

JW Filshill has signed a memorandum of understanding with ScottishPower to explore the potential of using green hydrogen and electrification to power its fleet.

“As a delivered wholesale business our fleet of vehicles make up a large proportion of our carbon footprint, therefore exploring options such as using hydrogen instead of diesel are extremely important to us.”

Barry Carruthers, hydrogen director at ScottishPower, said: “Green hydrogen offers companies like JW Filshill a zero-carbon fuel alternative that can support their business over the long-term.

“It’s an exciting time for green hydrogen as more and more businesses begin to realise the potential green hydrogen can offer them and we’re looking forward to working with JW Filshill over the coming months to see how best it can support their company well into the future.”

In September, JW Filshill released accounts showing that turnover jumped to £191 million in the year ending January 31, up 23 per cent on the year before.

READ MORE: Pandemic presents highs and lows for Glasgow food and drink wholesaler JW Filshill

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions