Waitrose has become the first UK supermarket to use renewable natural gas to power tractors at its farm, in what the retailer has called an 'industry leading move'.
In a step towards reaching net zero across its operations by 2035, Waitrose announced it would use the environmentally-friendly tractors at its Leckford Estate farm, in Hampshire.
Manure produced by the 500 cattle kept at the farm is harvested and upgraded on site, producing fugitive biomethane, which then fuels the machinery.
A lagoon facility has been built on the farm to provide sustainable fuel which, according to the retailer, will help cut down up to 1,300 tonnes of carbon per year.
The covered lagoon - which is the size of two and a half Olympic swimming pools - holds the energy rich fluid separated from farmyard manure.
The solid material is extracted as a digestate, which is rich in nutrients and can be used as fertiliser for crops.
The fluid which enters the lagoon emits gases, including methane. As the decomposition process happens, these are trapped and cleaned and upgraded in the system to biomethane gas, in turn this is used to power compressed natural gas (CNG) tractors.
James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose, said the move to renewable natural gas powered tractors was 'industry leading'.
“We challenged ourselves to use Leckford as an experiment in farming best practices, to pave the way for genuine solutions to help conserve our soil, air and water for the future generations, and our biomethane lagoon does just that.
"An innovative example to help our farm and hopefully other farms, reach net zero.”
Last month, Sainsbury's launched what it said was the UK's largest ever low carbon beef range following a decade of development and five years of production.
According to the retailer, the Aberdeen Angus beef range offers a 25% lower carbon footprint compared to the industry standard.
