In an attempt to reduce its carbon emissions, Coca-Cola has decided to switch its distribution services from road to rail. The company will be working with Maritime Transport and GB Railfreight to distribute its products between manufacturing sites and third party warehouses across London and Yorkshire.

The goal set by Coca-Cola is to reduce its carbon emissions by nearly 50% when delivering at full capacity, compared to doing the same amount by road. Up to 2.5 million cans and bottles of some of the world’s most popular beverages will arrive at their destination by rail every day. By 2030, the company aims to reduce the overall CO2 value across its chain by 30%, with an even bigger goal for 2040, which will see Coca-Cola become fully net zero.

“The launch of this dedicated service in partnership with Coca-Cola underlines the flexibility and breadth of our business’ capabilities,” said Alex Williams, Distribution Managing Director at Maritime Transport. “Converting domestic cargo from road to rail is a key strategic development for us in our ambitions to reduce emissions and offer greater resource to our customers.”

“Our advancements in the distribution and rail freight sectors have enabled us to provide a truly networked, end-to-end logistical product to our customers, whilst our commitment to developing innovative solutions that allow more freight to be moved by rail is a great fit for Coca-Cola, and means we are well-positioned to support their journey towards a net-zero future,” Alex continued.

The move represents Maritime’s first domestic distribution intermodal service, which will see the movement of heavily modified containers by rail six days per week, with Maritime’s distribution fleet making final mile deliveries to Coca-Cola’s sites. The switch will save a total of almost four million road miles per year and remove a total of 15,000 lorry journeys from UK roads.