Neele-Vat and Van Sillevoldt Rijst reduce CO2 emissions by 411,000 kg per year.

Peter Vinke and Jeanette Spanjersberg

Logistics service provider Neele-Vat and rice producer Van Sillevoldt Rijst from Papendrecht are once again expanding their partnership. In addition to their existing partnership in European distribution, Van Sillevoldt Rijst is now also entrusting the Rotterdam-based family-owned company with its incoming container shipments from overseas.

The two parties have entered into a three-year agreement and decided to permanently remove approximately 5,100 containers from the road each year. Whereas the containers were previously transported by truck from the seaport terminals to the factory in Papendrecht, both parties have now opted to transport them by inland waterway vessel. Thanks to this shift in mode of transport, they are saving approximately 411,000 kg of CO2 annually—an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of about 50 households.

Control Tower

Neele-Vat supports the logistics chain with a proprietary, newly programmed “Control Tower.” This fully automated IT application manages the chain 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ensuring complete control and oversight.

The official partnership has now been underway for just over a month, and both parties are very satisfied with how things have gone so far. Peter Vinke, Director of Transportation at Neele-Vat, says:
“The open communication between both companies has led to this game-changer. We have digitally connected all links in the chain—from shipping lines and terminals to degassing and gasification facilities and customs—with one another. In addition to the CO2 savings, this also yields significant efficiency gains, from which the factory benefits 24/7.”

Jeanette Spanjersberg, General Manager of Van Sillevoldt Rijst, adds:
“We want to continuously improve our logistics chain. Sustainability plays an important role in this. By expanding our collaboration with Neele-Vat , we’re taking another step forward. It’s wonderful that we can reduce CO2 emissions by so much.”