Waitrose, the supermarket chain, has begun a ground-breaking trial that could lead to its entire fleet of lorries being powered by rapeseed oil.

In the latest green move by its owner, the John Lewis Partnership, five trucks that deliver food and drink to Waitrose supermarkets are being run on a hybrid version of the oil used in kitchens throughout the UK.

Earlier this year a clutch of Michelin-starred restaurants, such as Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, championed a cold-pressed rapeseed oil used by its chefs.

If Waitrose’s six-month trial is a success, the chain intends to use the fuel in more of its 300-strong fleet of lorries to cut costs and carbon emissions.

The supermarket chain is the first to opt for rapeseed oil over crop-derived bio-diesel.

It claims that the process of cold-pressing rapeseed to produce the oil has a carbon footprint 20 per cent lower than producing the equivalent amount of bio-diesel, which is made through a chemcial process involving methanol.

Charlie Mayfield, the chairman of John Lewis, said: “We are always looking at ways of improving the efficiency of our fleet and this is a win for us. We expect it to succeed and as and when it does we will roll it out.”

Last month a Populus survey for The Times showed that shoppers were becoming more worried by social concerns, such the use of suppliers employing cheap labour in the Far East than their environmental record.

However, Mr Mayfield, who took over as chairman in March, said he believed that a company’s green credentials would be critical to winning over customers in the coming years.

In store

— The first Waitrose opened in Acton in 1904

— It joined the John Lewis Partnership in 1937

— Its first supermarket was opened in 1955

Source: John Lewis Partnership

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