Like an increasing number of businesses around the world, whiskey giant Glenfiddich recently pledged to reduce its footprint on the environment. With that goal in mind, the company started adapting its delivery trucks to run on low-emission biofuel created from its own whiskey waste.

Adopting a circular model, the innovative system is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 99 percent when compared to diesel and other fossil fuels, with each truck capable of displacing up to 250 tonnes of CO2 annually.

The initiative, called Fuelled by Glenfiddich, is part of the brand’s greater plans to reduce the carbon footprint of its single malt production process. The ultra-low carbon fuel is created by converting waste generated during the whiskey making process.

The company has also built specialized fueling stations at its distillery, located in the Northeast Scottish highlands, for its trucks as part of its closed-loop sustainability initiative. The new vehicles will handle transportation at every stage of the process, from bottling through to packaging.

William Grant & Sons, the company that owns Glenfiddich, says the annual CO2 displacement of each truck is equivalent to planting 4,000 trees annually. The first whiskey-powered truck is now up and running.

“Our green biogas transport fleet is absolutely in line with our brand ethos of ‘where next’ — always challenging ourselves not to rest on our past achievements but to always look for what is coming next,” says Claudia Falcone, Glenfiddich’s global brand director.

Image source: Glenfiddich