Logistics at the Core: UPS’s 2011 Sustainability Report

Aug 1, 2012 8:20 PM ET

Whether it’s saving 83,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, achieving a net reduction in domestic energy use at United States facilities, or expanding the deployment of telematics technology to eliminate more than 98 million minutes of engine idling time, Scott Wicker knows a thing or two about ensuring that UPS’s integrated network is the most efficient it can be.

“Ten years ago, UPS began to construct its first Corporate Sustainability Report. Back then, the effort was seminal, championed by a small group of individuals who saw the connection between UPS’s behind-the-scenes efforts at serving the community and operating well with the emerging stakeholder cry for more transparency about business’s impact on society,” explains Wicker, UPS’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, who took the sustainability reins in 2011.

“Today, the report and UPS’s sustainability program is a mature, robust part of the company’s strategy. Sustainability is well integrated into corporate planning, engineering, operations and employee programs. It is part of our core.”

Wicker sat down with Lynnette McIntire, Editor of the Corporate Sustainability Report, to discuss why this year’s report, which received an A+ from the Global Reporting Initiative, is important for customers, employees, and the community.

Wicker addresses:

  • Why the theme of the report is “Logistics at the Core”
  • What an A+ rating means
  • Why  transparency is important to customers
  • The three legs of sustainability
  • Our score from the Carbon Disclosure Project
  • What is material at UPS
  • Our plans for alternative fuels and greenhouse gas reduction
  • What our carbon neutral shipping program is

Read the 2011 UPS Sustainability Report.