The People Behind the Process: How Wesley Hartman helped deliver lower‑emission logistics with measurable, documented CO₂ reductions

The shipping industry moves about 80% of the world’s traded goods, making it a key area where emission‑reduction efforts are being prioritized. But with the drinks industry projected to miss its 2030 emission reduction targets, there's growing pressure on brands to find solutions designed to lower greenhouse gas emissions within supply chains. That pressure is being felt across the industry with 78% of consumers now saying sustainability influences their purchasing decisions.

Wesley Hartman, Country Manager Benelux, knows that decarbonizing logistics at scale takes more than operational tweaks, it requires switching to fuels with lower well‑to‑wake greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fossil fuels. In 2024, he and the Netherlands team implemented an on-carriage solution using biofuel barges and electric trucks, for one of the Netherlands largest importers of wine, beer and spirits. But that was just the start.

Building on this success, the team launched a GoGreen Plus pilot in 2025, focused on imports from the South America West Coast. The aim: provide an end‑to‑end transport setup using fuels with lower well‑to‑wake emissions and transparent CO₂‑accounting.

What was the challenge of reducing transport emissions for wine imports?

While there’s growing interest in logistics using transport modes that generate lower CO₂e emissions compared to standard operations, one of the biggest challenges is proving the impact. Customers want more than a green label, they want clear data, full transparency and verified CO₂e reductions allocated through third‑party‑audited book‑and‑claim certificates.

For this pilot, Wesley and his team were tasked with demonstrating measurable CO₂ reductions for approx. 500 containers shipped from San Antonio and Valparaíso to Rotterdam. The challenge was clear:

• Make the emissions savings transparent and traceable
• Match the customer’s specific environmental targets
• Integrate more sustainable on-carriage in the Netherlands seamlessly

How does GoGreen Plus help reduce CO₂ emissions in beverage logistics?

GoGreen Plus is Hillebrand Gori’s solution for switching to more sustainable fuels in wine, beer and spirits transport. It helps shippers reduce their well-to-wake (WtW) greenhouse gas emissions by using biofuels instead of traditional fossil fuels for sea and air shipments.

But these fuels aren’t available everywhere in the world yet. That’s why GoGreen Plus uses a book & claim model, which works like this:

1. All ships share the same atmosphere. It doesn’t matter which ship uses the sustainable fuel—what matters is that it’s burned.
2. We track and verify the fuel switch through external audits, and allocate the CO₂ reduction to the customer through a certified reduction claim.
3. The customer gets full transparency of their environmental impact, even if the physical shipment didn’t travel on a biofuel-powered vessel.

To complement this approach, the team in the Netherlands used biofuel and electric trucks, as well as barges, for the final on-carriage leg - creating a fully integrated transport setup using low‑carbon fuels and electric vehicles, with transparent CO₂e accounting.

What were the results of using sustainable fuels in this pilot project?

The pilot delivered on every front:

• An average of 1.75 tons of CO₂ was saved per 40-foot container transported from South America to the Netherlands
• Full transparency through tools like myHillebrandGori and our Carbon Calculator, helping the customer track and report savings with confidence
• Operational execution and customer trust that exceeded expectations, laying the groundwork for GoGreen Plus expansion to other trade lanes

No marketing spin. No guesswork. Just facts, clear data and a collaborative approach, led by people who care about doing the right thing.

How can Hillebrand Gori support your sustainability goals?

From burning less fuel through route optimization to using fuels with lower verified well‑to‑wake greenhouse gas emissions through GoGreen Plus, We’re committed to supporting beverage shippers in lowering CO₂e emissions in specified parts of their transport chain. With transparent CO₂ emission tracking and certified reduction claims, our solutions help you advance operations while remaining aligned with their defined sustainability targets.