Partner logins

Employee logins

Emergency number

Jointly investing in sustainable kilometres


Van den Bosch is fully committed to sustainability. One of the steps it is taking in this respect is to use HVO 100, in other words hydrotreated vegetable oil, as an alternative to fossil diesel in road transport. With a view to making this process as efficient and transparent as possible, we are developing a new tool that will allow us to calculate automatically how much HVO is needed per transport - as well as the associated costs, CO₂ savings and certification.

“We’ve been using HVO 100 on a daily basis within certain transport flows for a major customer in the Netherlands since 2022,” explains Marieke van Schijndel, commercial manager at Van den Bosch. “This represents around a hundred shipments a month. Conversations with customers have revealed that, while there’s significant interest in HVO 100, the costs and administration aspects are the main obstacles.”

In response to this, Van den Bosch has made it possible to enter the number of kilometres to be driven using HVO when drafting a quotation in its own Customer Order Management (COM) system. COM then uses this data to calculate automatically how many litres of HVO are needed. The system also takes account of the monthly price difference between conventional diesel and HVO. As with the diesel clause, the HVO surcharge is adjusted monthly, depending on current fuel prices. Given that HVO and diesel do not always evolve in sync, this monthly adjustment ensures that customers always pay a fair and accurate price.

Transparency

“Transparency also plays a key role,” Van Schijndel explains. “There’s a reluctance to switch to biofuel due to a lack of understanding of the financial and environmental benefits. It’s difficult to pass on costs correctly, especially in a logistics network where trucks aren’t exclusively used for one particular customer. We've therefore been working on a system that automatically calculates how much HVO 100 has been used for a specific customer, and how the cost can be properly charged.” As Frank van Kroonenburg, also commercial manager at Van den Bosch, adds, “Comparing data on kilometres driven and litres refuelled allows us to establish whether our HVO consumption is in line with demand from customers and then make adjustments in good time and decide, for example, whether we need to use more HVO, or run additional vehicles on HVO. We may even discover that we’re unnecessarily using too much. These insights help us keep a grip on consumption, costs and sustainability.”

Certification

“Another important part of our HVO strategy is issuing certificates to customers," Van Kroonenburg continues. “A certificate shows the customer the savings that have been made on the shipments carried out so that compensation can be claimed for the CO2 emissions saved. In principle, this means that using HVO is an easy way of achieving immediate sustainability. To become more sustainable you often need to invest first but, in a manner of speaking, you could switch to HVO 100 tomorrow.”

“This simplifies the administration side of things and lowers the threshold for use,” adds Van Schijndel. “We’re also trying to provide an insight into the alternatives, so that you know what the emissions are if you choose the intermodal variant and what the difference is if you opt for HVO. This approach helps increase awareness and also gives the customer a choice.” As Van Kroonenburg concludes, “We’ve noticed that customers are still cautious about HVO because of the higher costs, but we’re ready for it. The tools have been developed and tested. It’s now up to the customer to make the move to sustainable logistics.”

Share this page

Related news

See all news »
  • Van den Bosch DMCC celebrates tenth anniversary

    26 August 2025

    Van den Bosch DMCC celebrates tenth anniversary

    This month, Van den Bosch DMCC is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The office in Dubai was established in 2015 to coordinate the global deep sea activities of the logistics service provider. Today, the office has nearly fifty employees and Van den Bosch is the market leader in shipping liquid bulk in ISO tanks to and from Africa.

  • Van den Bosch strengthens position in Spain with full acquisition of Multirail
  • Van den Bosch achieves FSSC 22000 certification
  • Meet the new Bulkio

    2 June 2025

    Meet the new Bulkio

    Moving bulk forward together. Under this heading, Bulkio will focus on bulk carriers who believe in collabration. Not only the pay-off, but also the brand story and communication style have been completely renewed. ‘Ready for the future,’ says Barry Gruijters, Managing Director of Bulkio.

  • Van den Bosch participates in Transport Logistic Munich

    21 February 2025

    Van den Bosch participates in Transport Logistic Munich

    From 2 to 5 June, Messe Munich will once again be the setting for Transport Logistic: the world's largest trade fair for logistics, mobility, IT and supply chain management. Both Van den Bosch and Bulkio will be represented this year.

  • Van den Bosch celebrates jubilee evening

    5 November 2024

    Van den Bosch celebrates jubilee evening

    It’s one of our finest traditions: the jubilee evening. At the beginning of November, we paid tribute to over 300 years of service, given by fourteen jubilarians and retirees. Although most would rather avoid the spotlight in everyday life, they were able to enjoy it for once.

  • Game Changer magazine: the anniversary edition

    15 October 2024

    Game Changer magazine: the anniversary edition

    The latest edition of our Game Changer magazine is an extra special one: an unique anniversary edition to mark our 60th anniversary which we are celebrating this year. This edition is packed with inspiring stories, old photographs and interviews with people who have played an important role over the past six decades.

  • Van den Bosch awarded 94 per cent SQAS score

    9 October 2024

    Van den Bosch awarded 94 per cent SQAS score

    Van den Bosch has passed the triennial SQAS audit with flying colours, scoring an impressive 94 per cent. ‘We are extremely proud of this result, which shows that quality and safety are embedded throughout the organisation,’ said Frank van den Tillaar, QESH Manager at Van den Bosch.

  • Van den Bosch is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary

    26 September 2024

    Van den Bosch is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary

    Van den Bosch will celebrate its sixtieth anniversary in October 2024. The company was founded in 1964 by Ad van den Bosch. Starting off with just a single truck, he laid the foundations for today's organisation. Six decades later, Van den Bosch has grown into a world player in intermodal bulk logistics, with branches in Europe, Africa and beyond.