“There
is truly no better way to honor World Environment Day than to facilitate actions
that will help the planet,” said Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, UPS chief sustainability officer (CSO) and vice
president of environmental affairs. “UPS hopes to create more awareness
about our carbon neutral shipping option so additional customers will take
advantage of it, thus helping to fund large-scale carbon reduction programs and
reduce the total carbon impact of shipping on the environment.”
To
participate, shippers pay a fee as little as the local currency equivalent of
USD 0.75 per package, then UPS will match these
offsets throughout June. This is essentially doubling the shipper’s impact thereby
allowing the shipper to potentially net out “carbon negative” in June. The
optional service is available on shipments using UPS Express Plus, Express,
Express Saver, Expedited, and Worldwide Express Freight services.
UPS started its carbon neutral program
in 2010 and offsets more than 60 million packages annually for customers, which
equates to more than 100,000 metric tonnes of carbon offset each year. UPS has supported projects worldwide that include
forestation, landfill gas destruction, and wastewater treatment. UPS carbon
neutral option is verified by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an
inspection, testing, and verification company. Additionally, UPS’s carbon
offset process adheres to The Carbon Neutral
Protocol from Natural
Capital Partners.
Furthermore, customers benefit from the carbon
reduction efforts UPS undertakes in its own operations. During
the last decade, UPS has invested more than $1 billion on alternative fuel and
advanced technology vehicles as well as supporting infrastructure. The company is now the largest user of
renewable natural gas in the transportation industry and has a specialized
alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet of more than 10,300 vehicles.
Recently, UPS announced plans to purchase more than 6,000 natural gas
trucks through 2022. And, in January, UPS announced an
investment in the UK-based technology startup firm Arrival and committed to buy
10,000 of their electric vehicles. UPS
is an important part of its customers’ supply chains and continues to offer sustainability
solutions that impact their value chains.
The carbon neutral offering is just one way UPS is
supporting a more sustainable logistics ecosystem for Taiwan. Another is the
introduction and subsequent expansion
of UPS My Choice which allows customers
to change how and when they receive their deliveries should their plans change;
this includes the option to pick up packages from one of over 1,200 Palmbox e-lockers
conveniently located across Taiwan.
Allowing
customers to receive packages at a time and place that works for them is not
only convenient for customers, it also reduces the need for UPS drivers to make
multiple trips for the same delivery, thereby lowering carbon emissions and
helping reduce traffic congestion.
“For
many Taiwanese companies, operating in a more sustainable way has also become a
top priority and more and more often customers are choosing businesses that are
helping minimize their impact on the environment. Shipping with our carbon
neutral program means UPS, our customers and the communities we serve can
continue to succeed together in a more sustainable way.”
UPS will automatically match all offsets
during the month of June. To start shipping more sustainably today, please
visit your local ups.com website. For more information on UPS’s ongoing
sustainability initiatives, visit www.ups.com/sustainability, and
stay tuned for the company’s upcoming 18th annual Sustainability
Report when it is released on June 30, 2020.