Unilever has declared a six-month trial of a zero emission transport refrigeration unit in the Netherlands a success, according to a report published by Air Quality News.

Developed by London-based Dearman, the unit employs liquid nitrogen in place of diesel to keep products cool on the go.

The trial ended in December 2017 with the Dearman trailer spending over 661 hours on the road and travelling more than 18,000km over the course of the six-month trial. Dearman claims that the new technology cut carbon dioxide emissions by 600kg a month when compared to a conventional diesel-based system.

“We are delighted that a major global player like Unilever took on a Dearman transport refrigeration unit and saw a real benefit to its operations. Both Unilever and Dearman have a shared ambition to tackle environmental impacts through innovation,” Dearman CEO Scott Meekin told Air Quality News.

“By opening up our logistics network to Dearman’s innovation and collaborating in this way, we have provided our partner with a great opportunity to test a revolutionary product under real life conditions,” added Raghuraman Ramakrishnan, Unilever Vice President for Logistics Europe.

“Reducing the environmental impact of our logistics network is an integral part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan and our goal is to make sure that our transport and distribution systems are as green as possible. We are committed to advancing sustainable solutions in logistics and leveraging new technology once they become commercially available in order to achieve this,” he continued.