Legislators, consumers and corporations across the globe have increased their attention to climate change and sustainability in recent years. As a result, the transportation sector is actively looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This has created increased demand for cleaner, more innovative fuel sources, like renewable diesel.
The U.S. produces more carbon emissions than almost any other country in the world, coming second only to China. The movement of vehicles – both passenger and commercial – is the single largest source of those emissions. Freight trucks, specifically, are responsible for almost 25% of overall transportation emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Reducing dependence on fossil fuels is the only way to cut that number. While companies are experimenting with a variety of alternatives, switching to renewable diesel is one of the simplest and quickest paths to cleaner transportation.
Renewable diesel
Neste MY Renewable Diesel (™) is one of the flagship products of Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable fuels. Because of its similarities to fossil diesel, Neste MY Renewable Diesel is compatible with all diesel engines. The fuel can be used pure or blended with petroleum diesel at any ratios, making it easy to integrate into any fleet’s fueling strategy.
Renewable diesel offers serious sustainability benefits, as well as potential operational perks for carriers hoping to keep their trucks on the road longer.
“We’re going to lower a customer fleet’s GHG emissions by up to 75% because we’re not using crude oil and petroleum,” Matt Leuck, the North America Technical Manager of Renewable Road Transportation at Neste, said. “When you start putting it into a truck, you’re going to see some tangible physical benefits as well.”
Leuck noted that Neste MY Renewable Diesel is so clean that it looks and smells like water. Naturally, this level of purity leads to much less soot and particulate matter being produced, which increases the lifespan of truck engines and may help reduce truck maintenance costs.
West Coast
The West Coast has led the country in ramping up environmental protection laws and promoting lower- and no-carbon transportation options. It makes sense, then, that the bulk of the renewable diesel market in the U.S. is concentrated in this region.
California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) was created to reduce the carbon load associated with transportation in the state by easing the financial burden of renewable fuel producers.
The program, which was implemented in 2011, has grown leaps and bounds over the past several years. Now, it is possible for renewable diesel companies like Neste to sell into the California market at near parity with petroleum diesel, according to Leuck.
While California has always stood out for its eco-conscious efforts, nearby states Oregon and Washington have also created programs aimed at cleaning up their fuel supplies. This has created a pathway for Neste to offer up its clean diesel in those markets as well.
East Coast
Outside of the West Coast corridor, most U.S. states have not rolled out substantial renewable diesel incentives. Even though most of the renewable diesel consumption is on the West Coast thanks to the regulatory support, Neste is seeing increasing voluntary demand from other parts of the country too, driven by businesses’ ambitious sustainability commitment. Also, the success of California’s LCFS program is encouraging other states to adopt similar programs including New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Forward-thinking companies across the Northeastern region have already expressed interest in Neste MY Renewable Diesel, according to Leuck.
These states – like those on the West Coast – have announced more ambitious environmental protection goals than many states in other regions of the country. As such, a significant number of companies headquartered in the Northeast have pledged to rescue their carbon footprints in the near future, pure renewable diesel offers an intuitive pathway to cleaner transportation.
“Fleet operators across all industries are switching to Neste MY Renewable Diesel because it’s easy, cost effective and delivers immediate reductions in GHG and particulate matter emissions,” Neste notes on its website.