July 23, 2013
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Atlanta, July 28, 2011
Company Avoids Driving 63.5 million miles in 2010
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 behavior can affect fuel use.
All told, technology enabled UPS to avoid driving more than 63.5 million miles 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 ups.com/sustainability, spotlights key ways that UPS technology has reduced fuel consumption:
"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 9.13 million miles."
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 "decarbonization" 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:
"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.