Paris, le 8 novembre 2018 — Paris, 8 November 2018 — The Avril Group has launched Oleo100, a new energy resource made from French rapeseed and intended in the first instance for transport professionals (captive and local government fleets). Achieving performance comparable to that of diesel and at a competitive price, the adoption of Oleo100 is extremely simple and does not involve any additional costs for fleet operatives. An immediate, appropriate and pragmatic response to transport-related environmental challenges, this joint development by farmers and industry is mobilizing the sector and creating value in all French regions. Oleo100 has already received support from several major vehicle manufacturers in Europe.
Oleo100: the only renewable alternative that can wholly replace diesel
Intended for use by captive fleets – and initially those operated by transporters and local government – Oleo100 is an immediately available solution that can support professionals in their transition towards renewable energies.
Compatible with all B100 approved diesel vehicles, and the only alternative to fossil fuels that can offer autonomy equivalent to that of diesel, Oleo100 can be deployed very rapidly and without constraints in all existing fleets without the need to adapt engine specifications or make any significant investment.
Competitive by comparison with diesel, Oleo100 presents major advantages versus most other renewable energies that are also available on the captive fleet market.
Oleo100: the B100 of the French farming industry
In the fuel landscape, B100 has been defined and standardized at a European level for more than 15 years.
It has been authorized in France since 29 March 2018. Its characteristics are defined by decree.
Oleo100, the only 100% French type of B100, complies with quality standards that go beyond national regulations and can thus respond to the needs of the most demanding manufacturers.
A turning point that will encourage the energy transition of transport in France
Produced entirely from local and traceable biomass, Oleo100 can participate in preserving the environment in more than one way. It offers a guarantee of added value for local producers and a means to combat imports from regions suffering from deforestation.
Oleo100 benefits from a positive energy balance: from the farmer’s field to the fleet operator’s fuel tanks, it can return 3.7-fold more energy than what was required to produce it*. Furthermore, Oleo100 enables a reduction of at least 60% in greenhouse gas emissions by comparison with the fossil fuel it replaces. With a carbon balance that is more than 2.5-fold better than that of diesel and nearly 2-fold better than that of natural gas, Oleo100 offers an immediate, simple and practical response to support and accelerate energy transition in the transport sector.
Oleo100 is also an efficient solution to reducing the effects of transport on air quality, notably in urban areas: because of its oxygen content, Oleo100 can significantly – by up to 80 %** – lower emissions of fine and ultrafine particulates.
*source ADEME **source SAE International, value Euro 3
Collective mobilization to serve the energy and protein independence of France
Oleo100 energy reaffirms the values and challenges that drove the organization of the French vegetable oils and proteins sector in the early 1980s and, at the initiative of the farmers involved, the creation of the Avril Group.
Oleo100 thus offers a new agricultural response to the challenge of energy sovereignty and transition in France. Twenty percent of renewable energies produced in our country now come from agriculture, and they are playing an increasingly important role in farm incomes that in turn enable investment in the development of new production modes under the logic of integrated and sustainable agriculture.
Oleo100 also illustrates growing interest in the development of rapeseed cultivation in France which has enabled the recovery of an important share of French autonomy in vegetable protein; in twenty years this has risen from 23% to 55%, while the European Union as a whole has seen an average deficit of 70%. This is thanks to the unique balance of oil and protein found in rapeseed grain: one hectare of rapeseed grown in France enables the combined production of 1000 liters of oil, 2000 kilograms of protein-rich and non-GM meal to feed livestock on French farms and 100 kilograms of vegetable glycerin with numerous applications in renewable chemistry.
For Arnaud ROUSSEAU, Chairman of Avril Gestion: "With Oleo100, agriculture and industry are mobilizing their forces to offer a strong and immediate contribution to the environmental commitments made by France in the context of its Climate Plan. This new energy from French-grown rapeseed well illustrates the role played by farmers in many of the important challenges faced by our society.”
Jean-Philippe PUIG, CEO of Avril adds: "Oleo100 offers a remarkable opportunity to support thousands of local government bodies and transport operators in their transition towards a post-diesel world. It is also a solution that perfectly illustrates the raison d’être of the Avril Group, whose mission focuses notably on creating value in different regions and diversifying markets for 10,000 farmers who grow rapeseed.”
For Kristell GUIZOUARN, Group Director, New Energies and European Affairs: "For a transport company or local government body that currently uses diesel, the introduction of Oleo100 does not involve any changes while it offers autonomy that is equivalent to, or much better than, most of the alternatives available on the captive fleet market. Oleo100 is a practical and immediate solution that enables a commitment without additional investment to energy transition.”
For more information: Oleo100.com
About the Avril Group:
Founded in 1983 at the initiative of farmers in order to assure long-term markets for French products, Avril is the leading industrial and finance actor in the vegetable oils and proteins sector.
It is present in France and internationally in sectors as diverse as human foods, animal nutrition and expertise, renewable energies and chemistry, through its portfolio of strong brands that are leaders in their markets: Oleo100, Sanders, Lesieur, Puget, Costa d’Oro, Matines, Bunica, Taous, etc.
In 35 years, the Group has changed in size but its purpose has remained the same: to create sustainable value in the vegetable oils and proteins sector while contributing to better foods for humans and preservation of the planet.
To fulfil its mission, Avril draws strength from its industrial activities organized around plant and livestock sectors, and from its experience in investment, operated through Sofiprotéol, its finance and development company.
In 2017, the Avril Group achieved turnover worth €6.2 billion. It counts 7600 employees working in 21 countries.
For more information: www.groupeavril.com | Twitter: @Avril