Valio and Viking Line’s green logistics solutions have become a competitive advantage in the Swedish market 

Just under one year ago, Kimmo Pirkkala, Transportation Manager at Valio, was observing the refuelling of a Viking Line vessel when the idea occurred to use biogas in maritime transports between Finland and Sweden. Valio’s climate targets were ambitious, as it was seeking to eliminate the climate impacts of its milk value chain by 2035. Among other actions, Valio had encouraged its subcontractors to realise milk collection and distribution using biogas trucks, which have since been rapidly increasing in use.

However, no one had ever transported even a single load of dairy products by sea using biogas.

Viking Line was among the 0.1% of the world’s major maritime operators capable of providing a solution to accomplish this. Within the green freight corridor, cargo customers can purchase the amount of liquefied biogas (LBG) for the tanks of Viking Line’s Glory and Grace ships that would cover the delivery of their cargo. This reduces about 90% of CO2 emissions in comparison to fossil fuel. It also preserves nature in comparison to liquefied natural gas (LNG), which most of the vessels still utilise.

The shipping route was familiar to Valio. Its subcontractor was already transporting products to Sweden on Viking Line’s ships. The advantage of going through Turku was speed, which is vital when transporting fresh products.

We also use the port of Turku because of the overall efficiency of its logistics. Naturally, Turku is the top choice for products being exported to Sweden. Biogas simply provides an additional reason to go this route.

At the beginning of 2025, Valio decided to test the green freight corridor with a volume of 40 per cent.

There is growing interest in Valio’s protein products in the west

Valio’s most popular products in Sweden have been its lactose-free milk, kefir and PROfeel products. The company has a successful foothold in the popular protein trend, and Swedish exports have become a significant part of Valio’s foreign trade.

“We have concentrated our export products for Sweden in a central warehouse, from which an average of 50 articulated trucks make the fossil-free journey every week through Turku to Stockholm. In Sweden, we have about 100 delivery points for the central warehouses of different retail and restaurant chains. Most of the products are delivered to the Stockholm region and further south to, for example, Helsingborg, but they are also transported as far north as Luleå”, Pirkkala says.

Both Harri Tamminen, Freight Director for Viking Line, and Pirkkala have noticed that Swedish consumers appreciate ecological sustainability, perhaps to the highest degree in the Nordic countries.

At the forefront of development

The benefits of using biogas were clear, but how was Valio able to offset its higher price?

“Of course, we had to consider ways to realise fossil-free transports as cost-effectively as possible. Due to tightening competition, it is essential to stay on top of green developments”, Pirkkala says. He points out that when driving in heavy road traffic, biogas can actually end up being much cheaper than conventional diesel over long distances.

Tamminen believes that the price of biogas transportation by sea will decrease as the product develops and competition increases. Valio is also doing its best to advance this notion. It is involved in multiple projects together with ST1 Biokraft endeavouring to produce biogas from cow manure, and agricultural waste and residues.

Perhaps in the future, products obtained from Finnish cows will be crossing the Baltic Sea on the power of Finnish cows.

Valio’s well-known brand brings added value to the route

The Valio experiment was well received by Swedish consumers, and several media outlets representing the logistics and environment sectors reported on it positively.

As of May 2025, Valio was transporting all of its products to Sweden along the green freight corridor.

“Valio is a well-known brand and its decision strengthens the position of the Turku–Stockholm route as a pioneer in sustainable logistics. The co-operation between Valio and Viking Line is a successful demonstration of how responsibility and efficiency can go hand-in-hand, thus making Finnish food exports both high-quality and climate-smart. The Port of Turku operates as part of the green corridor and we are committed to developing port operations to ensure that they are as environmentally friendly as possible. We believe that such solutions will be the standard in the future rather than the exception”, says Erik Söderholm, Managing Director of the Port of Turku.

The green maritime corridor is currently being used by two food industry companies: Orkla and Valio. The route is part of the Green Corridor co-operation agreement, which the Port of Turku, the Ports of Stockholm and Viking Line signed just over a year ago. The aim of the agreement is to create a fossil-free maritime route between the cities by 2035 at the latest.

“Even though the green corridor already exists, product development continues and climate intelligence is continuously increasing. It has been interesting and motivating to find companies like Valio that are looking to break away from traditional practices to become industry pioneers”, says Tamminen.

Text: Sari Järvinen
Photos: Sari Järvinen, Valio