Innovation at The Malcolm Group speeds up transition to net zero

The Herald Scotland

30-04-2025

FREIGHT
Our 100 years of history in business has always had strong sustainable foundations – putting people at the heart, building successful partnerships for longevity, and looking at new innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
In 2024, we officially launched our Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which aims to focus our journey towards implementing practical solutions for a sustainable future.
Just like our business, continually moving forward and progressing, sustainably is imperative to our ethos. In the last 12 months we have:
■ Increased the use of HVO, a non-fossil fuel, within our fleet operations offering up to 90% CO2e reduction when compared with diesel.
■ Introduced a fully electric HGV tractor unit and transitioned additional company cars to fully electric.
■ Introduced a 'refurbish rather than retire' approach towards our trailers, successfully refurbishing 160 units, prolonging their service lifespan and reducing the need for new.
■ Launched our ESG framework via an online conference for customers, suppliers and public.
■ Invested further in our recycled aggregate offerings, through the addition of a Coarse-Fine Classification Unit (CFCU) on our wash plant which enhances the production of recycled sand which can be used in concrete production. Enhancing our circular approach and reducing embodied carbon of construction products.
We aim for robust measures and tangible changes, hence continuing our commitment to Science Based Targets with validation process beginning in January 2025.
As with most industries, transition towards a net zero future brings with it both opportunities and challenges. Decarbonising road freight must balance the operational needs and customer expectations. The road haulage industry and wider logistics sector have several unique operational models. No 'one size – fits all' approach is available for decarbonisation.
Travel distance, refuelling times and delivery schedules must be considered, alongside efforts to reduce emissions. Longer term, electric and hydrogen vehicles are expected to transform modern logistics. For this to occur, vast infrastructure for charging or refuelling is required. We must continue to work as an industry supporting our peers, industry bodies and national governments.
Until such technologies offer the operational requirements for businesses, initiatives such as use of alternative fuels, introduction of additional rail freight and maintaining a highly efficient fleet is helping the operation evolve to reduce emissions.
(Image: Malcolm Logistics has introduced its first fully electric HGV tractor unit)
For over 20 years, The Malcolm Group have operated daily Anglo Scottish rail intermodal services moving over 700,000 containers and taking over twenty million miles off the UK road network. Offering sustainable solutions involves a combination of highly efficient road freight supported by our rail freight capability.
The last 12 months has seen significant challenges placed on rail freight, from market conditions to the withdrawal of the Modal Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme by the Scottish Government. However, we continue to be torchbearers for rail freight, knowing that rail combined with sustainable road freight solutions are essential to the industry decarbonising.
We are actively working with our partners to explore new routes within the rail network to allow our customers additional access. Also, we continue to raise our innovative '48 Tonne for 48 Miles' initiative which would help rail freight become more competitive with road, increasing utilisation and reducing carbon emissions.
We were also delighted to be an exhibitor at the Simply Supply Chain Decarbonising Logistics event at the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) showcasing our commitment to rail freight as a solution for industry decarbonisation.
To make long term growth targets within rail freight a reality, collaboration between owners, operators, industries and governments is essential to meet the challenges faced. Targeted infrastructure investments, stable access regime and electric traction are all key elements for sustainable rail freight growth.
Our sustainability strategy is holistic in nature and ensures each material aspect of our business is under continual improvement with regards to efficiency. We look at the whole system approach, from long distance transport, 'last mile' transport, handling and storage.
We actively propose '48 tonne for 48 miles' which seeks the increase in gross vehicle weight of intermodal traffic to 48 tonnes over a restricted distance of 48 miles from rail terminals.
Rail freight can have up-to a 15% decrease in payload when compared with road only freight.
This is due to the heavier specialised trailers and containers used for intermodal freight. Increasing weight to 48 tonnes would open up more opportunities for modal shift of freight from road to rail, with reduction in emissions and congestion.
Our consistent first-class service offerings to our customers ensures we remain a respected company within the industry to both our customers and peers.
We operate a highly efficient operational vehicle fleet combined with planning technology systems and our experienced staff – enabling reduced downtime across our freight operations.
Empty running is the portions of journeys in which goods are not being moved.
By reconfiguring warehouses and depot locations, this opens more opportunity for additional load laden legs as part of a vehicles overall journey. Whilst some 'empty running' will be part of a vehicles overall journey, reducing this distance has both customer advantages as well as offering emission reductions.
Our business, along with our peers within road haulage, are the 'sector connectors' with huge potential to be a key stakeholder in a successful circular economy within the UK. Through involving road haulage and rail freight in cross sector plans, we can open further connections and routes, moving more with less empty miles.
The Malcolm Group have continually pushed the boundaries in exploring innovative multi modal opportunities. The introduction of our 50' container demonstrates this.
The 50' container accommodates 4 more pallets of goods than the standard 45' container. For goods which often 'cube out before weighing out' the 50' container allows more goods to be transported with less carbon – with an average of 13% CO2e reduction per pallet moved.
In addition to the 50' container, we also pioneered the development of the first Longer Semi-Trailer (LST) in 2014 alongside SDC trailers. Again, the LST offers our customers more goods to be moved on a single journey – reducing HGV movements, congestion and carbon.
The ECO Stars scheme encourages and assists operators of HGVs, buses and vans to run fleets in the most efficient way.
Upon joining the scheme, experienced industry experts undertake an operational audit to provide an overall rating of fleet efficiency. The Malcolm Group achieved the highest accolade of 5-star rating post audit, in recognition of our strong focus on efficiency and environmental performance of our fleet.
We have undertaken a number of trials across alternative fuels and power technology to progress our sustainability strategy.
We recognise that to continue delivering our first-class service offerings to our customers, we need to fully understand alternative fuels and technology and how these can be used to maintain goods being delivered on-time, on budget and at locations throughout the UK.
For short- and medium-term planning, we believe that maximising the use of low emission fuels, such as HVO will help the industry begin to decarbonise. Whilst electric vehicles are increasing within the industry, their use must align with business operations. In the last 12 months we have:
■ Increased the use of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) across our fleet. Compared with diesel, HVO provides up to 90% reduction in Well-to-Wheel CO2e emissions.
■ We introduced our first fully electric HGV tractor unit which operates across the central belt of Scotland. Whilst the vehicle may have limited capabilities within our typical operations, we are using this vehicle to understand in more detail the real term capabilities of electric HGV units and understand the impact on our business. This will enable us to transition more confidently and with less disruption once technology and infrastructure permits.
CONSTRUCTION/RECYCLING
THROUGH our expertise in civil engineering, waste services and recycled aggregate supplies, we offer our clients a unique package with resource efficiency front and centre.
Our 'One Stop Shop' approach ensures customers are given value-driven solutions. Across our contracted projects, we recognise the value in materials generated during excavation activities.
Using our state-of-the-art recycling facilities and wash plants, we can process such materials and produce recycled aggregates for reuse across the construction industry.
Our 'One Stop Shop' approach was evident on the Lost Shore project in Edinburgh.
The Lost Shore project which was completed in October 2024, is the largest wave pool in Europe, offering surfing for all abilities as well as luxury accommodation and amenities. As Principal Contractor for the project, we approached each phase of the mass earthworks with material retention and reuse as a primary driver.
(Image: The Lost Shore project was completed in October 2024 and is the largest wave pool in Europe)
Our operations have always supported sustainable practices within the construction industry, through offering waste recycling and recycled aggregate supplies. With more emphasis on developers, contractors, and the wider value chain to measure sustainable benefits we have taken steps to quantify the carbon impacts of our operations and products we provide.
We also welcomed ITN to our Loanhead Quarry as part of their 'Sustainable Mineral' business programme. This gave the Malcolm team the opportunity to drive industry knowledge of recycled aggregates as well as showcasing the level of investment at the site.
New and enhanced infrastructure is imperative for the UK to meet Net Zero.
Therefore, the construction industry will play a key role in this. Construction is a resource intense industry, however these resources are essential.
Thus, our approach is to retain the value of such resources, including aggregates. The use of primary, quarried aggregates will remain an imperative part of construction.
We therefore have worked to retain the value of such aggregates through investing in technology to allow recovery of primary aggregates after use and generate quality secondary and recycled aggregates.
We invested further in our Loanhead aggregate wash plant, by adding a Coarse-Fine Classification Unit (CCFU). This technology enables a better quality of recycled sand to be produced, which can then be used within the value chain for concrete production.
(Image: Above, Malcolm Construction has invested further in its Loanhead aggregate wash plant)
Not only do we continue to advocate for an industry shift from the typical linear economy of 'take-make-waste' to a circular economy of 'reduce – reuse – recycle – recover', but we also recognise the impact we can have on reducing embodied carbon of materials for use across the construction industry.
Our approach towards sustainability is through integration. We have a wealth of knowledge and skills across our business who work daily to provide the most efficient service as possible to our customers. Fundamentally, this requires sustainable working, and we want to encourage all our colleagues to embrace this.
(Image: Left, Euan Malcolm welcomed ITN to Loanhead as part of the 'Sustainable Mineral' business programme)
The world of sustainability has several acronyms and complex definitions.
However, at the heart, it's about working efficiently, maintaining a strong customer base and having a skilled and caring workforce. Therefore, our key objectives are to provide our colleagues with the best training, guidance and support to ensure they have the correct tools to perform at their optimum.
This then reaps wider sustainability benefits. We want to remain open and transparent when it comes to our sustainability journey, and the launch of our ESG Conference in January 2025 again showed our commitment to sharing our journey with our colleagues, suppliers, customers and public.
This article was brought to you in partnership with WH Malcolm