Learn how renewable fuels are helping c-stores stay on top of the sustainability trend — and attract customers.
If it seems like the sustainability trend is everywhere, that’s because it is.
- Walmart launched Project Gigaton in 2017, with a stated goal of reducing emissions in its supply chain by 1 gigaton by 2030.
- The Hershey Company is on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, which selects companies based on their long-term economic, social and environmental asset management plans.
- LEED certification has become an aspiration for many convenience stores opening new buildings.
- California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) calls for the use of cleaner-burning transportation fuels. (Read the REG white paper on biodiesel’s role in the LCFS by downloading it here.)
From fleets to individual drivers, from companies to public organizations, the sustainability trend has taken hold and shows no sign of slowing down. Forward-thinking c-stores are already tapping into their customers’ desire to be green by adopting sustainable practices both inside their stores and out.
One example is Sapp Bros., Inc., which operates 17 travel centers across the U.S. and also has a fuel wholesale business. It has sold biodiesel blends since 2005 and offers up to a B20 blend, which is 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel, at its diesel islands.
“Economically, biodiesel is a good thing to do,” said Kevin Cassidy, vice president of both the wholesale and travel center businesses. “It’s also a sustainable fuel. It’s made us more competitive. Having a diverse lineup of fuels attracts a bigger customer base. Besides filling up with fuel, they’re inside your stores. They’re shopping, maybe getting something to eat.”
Perhaps the best glimpse at the future of sustainability and fuel is found in California, where so many trends start. The LCFS aims to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels by 10 percent by 2020. Obligated parties and fleets are turning to biodiesel as a solution. Biodiesel volumes in California increased 1,196 percent over the past six years, and the average biodiesel blend level in the state recently experienced a 65.7 percent year-over-year increase.
These stats and other insights are found in the REG white paper “Lower Carbon Intensity Solution — How Biodiesel Has Become the Answer to Emission-cutting Initiatives.” Download it by clicking here.
No matter where you do business, you’d be well-served by understanding what’s happening in California. Shelby Neal, Director of State Governmental Affairs at the National Biodiesel Board, says in the white paper that “there is a distinct growth trend with respect to low carbon policies,” and he says they come up frequently in his conversations with lawmakers across the U.S.
For more information about the environmental and economic benefits of biodiesel, visit regi.com.