CONSERVATION AND TECHNOLOGY HELP UPS DELIVER BETTER FUEL EFFICIENCY
Company Avoids Driving 102 million kilometres in 2010
ATLANTA, July 28, 2011 – UPS (NYSE-UPS) today released the latest edition of its annual Sustainability Report, disclosing it had once again managed to reduce the amount of fuel it’s using to deliver each package in the United States.
UPS’s U.S. package volume rose 1.8 percent in 2010 compared to 2009, but it reduced the amount of fuel consumed per package by 3.3 percent. The company attributed the improvement to deploying the right vehicle on the right routes, using technology to minimize the miles driven and focusing on how behaviour can affect fuel use.
All told, technology enabled UPS to avoid driving more than 102 million kilometres in 2010 with an associated emissions avoidance of 68,000 metric tonnes. That distance is the equivalent of 251,987 trips to the International Space Station.
“Fuel represents not only a major cost factor for UPS but also a major source of emissions that impact the environment. It makes sense for UPS to report extensively on how the company is doing its best to lower its net fuel use,” said Scott Wicker, UPS chief sustainability officer.
The new report, found at www.ups.com/sustainability, spotlights key ways that UPS technology has reduced fuel consumption:
- Routing technology, which enabled UPS to reduce the kilometres flown and driven.
- Loading optimisation so that more packages are being delivered with fewer vehicles on the road.
- Telematics, which provides data on how a vehicle performs mechanically as well as on a driver’s route and behaviour behind the wheel. Telematics saved 15.4 million minutes of engine idling time in 2010.
“The data we gather from Telematics enables us to make small adjustments with big payoffs,” said Wicker. “For example, one of our metrics is ‘stops per mile,’ which measures our ability to deliver more packages with fewer engine restarts. Increasing the number of stops per mile by just 0.01 percent in 2010 was the equivalent of not driving 14.7 million kilometres.”
In this year’s report, UPS has increased its reporting in several areas. Water usage, Scope 3 emissions, the financial value of in-kind transportation donations to charity, details about carbon offset purchases and the company’s long-term “decarbonisation” strategy all are detailed. UPS also becomes the first U.S. corporation to use a major accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche LLP, to “assure” its sustainability report. The report also was reviewed by the Global Reporting Initiative.
Other highlights include:
- UPS’s alternative fuel/advanced technology vehicle fleet topped 320 million kilometres driven since 2000.
- More than 5,289 employees now are included in the UPS Circle of Honor, which recognizes drivers who have driven for 25 years without an avoidable accident. Collectively these drivers have driven 8 billion kilometres, the equivalent of circling the earth 188,000 times.
- Total charitable contributions reached $97.1 million in 2010.
- Employees logged 1.2 million volunteer hours in 2010.
- UPS’s greenhouse gas inventory (direct and indirect) was verified and certified by third-parties for the first time.
“This sustainability report outlines how UPS supports social, environmental and economic value not only today but for the foreseeable future,” added UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis.
Contact:
Michael Düster, vd UPS Norden
+46 (0)8-799 80 11
michael.duester@europe.ups.com
Caroline Malm, Account Manager Weber Shandwick
+46 76 10 10 414
caroline.malm@webershandwick.se
UPS (NYSE:UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com.
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