One of the UK's leading supermarkets, Waitrose, has just begun a six month trial that will see five of its lorries powered by rape seed oil. If the rape seed oil proves effective and sustainable, the company aims to introduce the new fuel across more vehicles in its fleet.

Waitrose says it will fully assess the impact of the fuel on the environment, together with its technical performance in powering vehicles, as part of the trial process. The retailer has opted to explore rape seed oil in preference to biodiesel because of its cleaner production process.

Mark Williamson, Waitrose Supply Chain Director, said: “With increasing concern about climate change, the search for a greener fuel has become like a quest for the holy grail. As a responsible retailer we aim to look at alternative fuels that are more sustainable across the whole cultivation and manufacturing process, as well as on the road.

“The future potential for rape seed oil as a fuel is certainly worth exploring - and we will be doing just that during this six month trial.”

The trials are currently using fuel from Germany and the UK. However, if Waitrose were to extend the trial, it would seek UK sources for all the fuel, potentially including its own farm at Leckford in Hampshire. Sourcing rapeseed oil in the UK, says the company, would mean that it would have the significant advantage over biodiesel of being traceable back to its farm source.