Cleaner journeys
New Zealand has been lagging behind the rest of the world on biofuels but now has a chance to catch up.
Almost a fifth of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transport yet when it comes to fuel options there have been few alternatives to traditional fossil fuels, not making it easy for those who want to find a more environmentally friendly way to get around.
Local transport energy company, Z Energy, wanted to change that so has been working on creating Z Bio D from a renewable resource, bringing New Zealand into play with the rest of the world.
It will be the first domestically produced biodiesel blend offered at scale, rolling out to Z service stations in the coming months from Warkworth to Turangi – giving anyone who drives a diesel vehicle in one of the busiest parts of the country a more sustainable choice.
Taking a stand
Biodiesel, while pretty new to New Zealand, has been commonly used across Europe and a number of other countries for nearly 20 years. In fact, biofuels are seen as so critical to reducing emissions by other nations, that include Canada and Asia, that some governments have implemented mandates to boost biofuel usage.
Biofuels industry data shows 63 countries around the world have targets or mandates relating to the use of biofuels.
Frustratingly, in New Zealand, no such government mandates or targets exist, but Z’s chief executive Mike Bennetts says that wasn’t going to stop Z from taking a stand.
“We know the impact the fuels we sell has on the environment but we’ve always said we’re up for being part of the sustainability solution, and we reckon making biodiesel available is the single biggest step we can take toward achieving that.”
A sustainable solution
The fuel is made from tallow, an inedible by-product of our meat industry that would otherwise be sent offshore to make soap and candles.
When running at capacity, the plant will produce around 20 million litres of biodiesel each year, saving around 37,000 tonnes of CO2 from New Zealand’s annual carbon footprint.
Mike adds that adopting biofuels should be part of the wider solution that New Zealand needs to take to reducing emissions along with other steps, like electric vehicles.
“Moving towards electric vehicles is a critical step we fully support but, as a country, we can’t afford to leave alternative fuels on the sidelines, especially if we can act now.
“If we fail to consider other solutions we fail to consider a huge number of vehicles on our roads.”
Z has installed 6 EV chargers and will be rolling out more this year. It’s also working on a strategy to evolve as a company in a