Higher biodiesel blends made from waste-based feedstocks are delivering immediate greenhouse gas savings in the UK transport sector, with a collaboration between Argent Energy and Stagecoach reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 61,000 tonnes in 2025, biofuels international reported.
Stagecoach used Argent Energy’s Dieselite, a higher biodiesel blend, across around 7,000 buses operating in 18 regions and more than 100 depots during the year.
The programme resulted in an estimated 61,261-tonne reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with the use of conventional fossil diesel.
The initiative demonstrates how higher biodiesel blends can reduce emissions from existing diesel-powered vehicles without requiring immediate replacement of fleets or major changes to refuelling infrastructure.
Biodiesel provides transition pathway
The use of higher biodiesel blends could offer a transition solution for transport operators as they gradually move towards electrification and other low-carbon technologies.
Stagecoach has set an ambition to operate an electric vehicle fleet by 2035. However, the company sees higher biofuel blends as an important option for reducing emissions from its existing fleet during the transition.
“The ambition of Stagecoach is to have an EV fleet by 2035. But there’s this bridge we need to build, which is Dieselite and increasing that biofuel percentage,” said Greg Ritt, group head of sustainability at Stagecoach.
The experience highlights the potential of waste-based biodiesel to deliver emissions reductions using existing diesel buses and infrastructure, while longer-term electrification programmes are developed.
The collaboration also underlines the role of renewable fuels in decarbonising sectors where replacing conventional vehicles with electric alternatives can take several years.
