From the beginning of October 2021, six cities in the outer zone of Uusimaa – Hanko, Hyvinkää, Lohja, Loviisa, Porvoo and Raasepori – will use vehicles fueled by low-emission biogas to transport wastewater plant sewage sludge as well as biowaste collected by waste management company Rosk’n Roll Oy Ab to the Gasum biogas plant network where it will be used as raw material.

The annual total of around 30,000 tonnes of sewage sludge and biowaste will help to achieve an annual carbon dioxide emission reduction of up to 7,000 tonnes, which means the same as the annual emissions of more than 3,000 passenger cars. Fueled by Gasum’s renewable liquefied biogas, the trucks will help the cities to move towards their climate targets and reduce their carbon footprint significantly. The switch to biogas in transport will cut vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by up to 226 tonnes at the annual level – an amount corresponding to the annual emissions of almost 100 passenger cars. Creating more environmentally friendly permanent operating models is at the core of the cities’ strategy. The role of frontrunners in climate action includes supporting residents’ sustainable lifestyles and promoting the circular economy and carbon-neutral deliveries.

“Our cooperation with Gasum is part of our strategy to advance our climate program and act as frontrunners in climate action. At the same time, we’re promoting the circular economy as we’re able to fuel our deliveries with renewable biogas produced from biowaste and sewage sludge collected from the Uusimaa region,” says Jukka-Pekka Ujula, Mayor, City of Porvoo.

“100% renewable biogas is an alternative for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Biogas use cuts the fuel’s lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% and generates only a fraction of local emissions compared with conventional fuels, which improves urban and regional air quality,” says Anniina Hiltunen, Sales Manager, Biowaste, Gasum.

“It’s great that more and more actors want to switch to using environmentally friendly gas-fueled vehicles. Using gas as a fuel reduces transport emissions while at the same time providing enterprises with a competitive advantage. Demand for sustainable supply chains is growing, and responding to related customer needs promotes both business and sustainability targets,” says Juha-Matti Koskinen, Sales Manager, Heavy-Duty Transport, Gasum.

Gasum’s expanding gas filling station network opens up opportunities for actors to switch to gas in their logistics. Gasum currently has around 100 gas filling stations in the Nordic Countries, with around 30 of these serving heavy-duty vehicles. Gasum recycles an annual total of around 500,000 tonnes of biomass into biogas, a low-emission fuel for land and maritime transport as well as industry. In addition to biogas, Gasum plants produce a variety of recycled nutrients for agricultural and industrial uses.