The Cidacos food company and the Hutchison Ports BEST terminal consolidate their logistics collaboration to make it more sustainable by using the train as an alternative to road transport. Thanks to the rail operator Synergy of the Hutchison Ports group, the goods arrive from the Port of Barcelona to the Intermodal Logistics Centre of La Rioja (CLIR), in Agoncillo. Cidacos' objective is ambitious: to reach a multimodal rail transport quota of 60% by 2028, provided that the infrastructures keep pace with the company's logistical growth.
Long-term commitment to rail.
Cidacos has made intermodality a central pillar of its sustainability strategy from 2022, orienting supply chain logistics towards reducing the carbon footprint and promoting sustainable solutions. This commitment is particularly reflected in the firm commitment to the use of rail as an alternative to road transport.
The role of Hutchison Ports BEST.
BEST, recognised as the most sustainable terminal in southern Europe and the Mediterranean, offers a highly automated infrastructure and rail connectivity throughout central-northern Spain and southern France, positioning it as a leading terminal in the container sector. In addition, its rail terminal is the largest cargo terminal in Spain.
Synergy: the operator connecting port and factory
Thanks to the rail operator Synergy of the Hutchison Ports group, the goods arrive from the Port of Barcelona to the CLIR of Agoncillo, guaranteeing efficiency, traceability and reduced emissions on the journey to the Cidacos facilities in La Rioja. In 3 years, this collaboration between BEST - Synergy and CIDACOS has saved 547 tonnes of CO2e emissions into the atmosphere, equivalent to the CO2 absorption capacity of 46 hectares of trees.
Shared value and vision
This collaboration not only optimises Cidacos logistics, but also reinforces Hutchison Ports BEST's role as a facilitator of sustainable solutions for industry. Both companies are exploring new ways to further reduce the environmental impact of transport, including the use of the BEST terminal footprint as a primary hub source in Cidacos' transport footprint calculations, following the ISO 14083 methodology, which is based on the Smart Freight Center's international GLEC framework.
Marta Castro, Head of Logistics at Cidacos, comments: “Moving part of our goods by ship to BEST in Barcelona helps us to achieve our decarbonisation objectives by connecting the ship with the train. From there, Synergy continues the journey by rail to the CLIR in Agoncillo, very close to our production units”.
In turn, BEST, the container terminal of the Hutchison Ports group in Barcelona, is making progress in its decarbonisation plan, which aims to reduce emissions from its operations by 80% by 2030 and to be an emission-free terminal by 2040.
Guillermo Belcastro, CEO of Hutchison Ports BEST remarks: “We are very proud to be part of this cooperation, providing an efficient and sustainable logistics solution, while generating a competitive advantage for Cidacos”.
Benefits of intermodality
- Sustainability: Significant reduction of carbon footprint and alignment with decarbonisation targets.
- Efficiency: Rail has proven to be reliable and allows optimisation of transit times thanks to in-plant storage capacity.
- Cost reduction: The use of the train has led to significant savings, especially in the transport of canned food and reefer containers.
- Flexibility: The development of new routes and connections makes it easier to adapt to market demands and the country's logistical possibilities.
In short, Cidacos is firmly advancing towards increasingly sustainable logistics, committing to intermodality by connecting the ship with the train, while requesting the collaboration of administrations and operators such as Hutchison Ports BEST and Synergy so that the development of infrastructures accompanies the transformation of the sector.
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