increase font size
The environment has been at the forefront of how the tanker team at Fonterra's Te Awamutu site has been operating, well before the Covid outbreak.
One of the (positive) side-effects of Covid-19 is the improved air and water quality.
Less travel and manufacturing activity has meant those in normally polluted cities have been able to breathe easier and the Venice canals have never been clearer.
But how do we make sure those gains are made permanent and aren't lost post-Covid?
The environment has been at the forefront of how the tanker team at Fonterra's Te Awamutu site has been operating, well before the outbreak. It's been reducing emissions, simply by adopting economical driving techniques.
Matt Roberts, depot manager at Te Awamutu, says the co-op's depots across New Zealand have been tasked with demonstrating how drivers can reduce fuel usage. He says Te Awamutu's drivers have risen to the challenge.
"We essentially showed our drivers the data of where we were, and where we needed to be to reach our sustainability targets.
"The presentation touched the hearts and minds of the drivers. When they realised the potential impact they could have on the environment and for our co-op, many of them felt a responsibility to improve."
Not only have the drivers from the Te Awamutu site collectively saved 16,615 litres of fuel and 46 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the past year, it's had a direct financial impact.
"When they see the fuel barrels, it really hits home the reality of the impact they have on the environment, just from changing their driving style - they were really chuffed."
Fonterra tanker driver Stephen Putt says he was inspired to change his driving technique in 2015, when Fonterra nominated him to compete in The Volvo Fuel Challenge.
"The only problem was they only told me about the event a month before! That was a steep learning curve, but it gave me the push I needed to change my driving style completely."
Stephen placed 5th in the New Zealand event, but he reckons if he got another chance, he'd win it. With his current performance, Stephen uses around 40 litres per 100km (the Te Awamutu driver average is 47.66 litres per 100km) but says there's a lot of concentration involved to reach this level of fuel efficiency.
"You've got to stay on your game, it's alway got to be on your mind. I mainly try to scan ahead and memorise the routes, to drive more efficiently."
Techniques include reduced engine braking, maintaining a steady speed, limiting the number of stop-starts and using the truck's momentum to coast around corners.
To remind Te Awamutu drivers of the impact they're having, there's a life-sized VPM (Visual Performance Metric) in the drivers' carpark in the form of fuel barrels.
Matt says, "when they see the fuel barrels, it really hits home the reality of the impact they have on the environment, just from changing their driving style - they were really chuffed."
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
OPINION: Farmer shareholders of two of New Zealand's largest co-operatives have an important decision to make this month and what they decide could change the landscape of the dairy and meat sectors in New Zealand.
OPINION: As CEO of the Dairy Board in the 1980s I was fortunate to work with a team of experienced and capable executives who made most of the brand investments that created the international consumer business Fonterra inherited. Soprole in Chile was the largest, but there were more than 20 countries where consumer marketing companies were established and Anchor and other brands were successfully launched.
Fonterra has delivered a fifth straight year of record organic milk price for farmer suppliers.
Fonterra says favourable weather conditions supporting pasture growth is boosting milk production.
Like many manufacturers around the world, European agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers are currently operating in a difficult market environment. But they are heading to the world’s largest agricultural machinery event in Hanover next month with a degree of cautious optimism.
Established in 2021, the John Deere Technician of the Year Awards champion the important contribution parts and service technicians make to the Australian and New Zealand agriculture, construction and forestry industries.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling on farmers from all regions to take part in the final season of the Sheep Poo Study aiming to build a clearer picture of how facial eczema (FE) affects farms across New Zealand.
New Zealand is closer to eradicating bovine TB than ever before, but possums remain a threat, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined the debate around the proposed sale of Fonterra’s consumer and related businesses, demanding answers from the co-operative around its milk supply deal with the buyer, Lactalis.
The ACT Party says media reports that global dairy giant Nestle has withdrawn from the Dairy Methane Action Alliance shows why New Zealand needs to rethink its approach to climate.
