Forward, Summer 2016 Issue

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Summer 2016 Q Forward Magazine
year-over-year fuel savings and carbon reductions. This is not only
good business, it’s good for business—and for the environment.
SmartWay helps companies take advantage of these multiple ben-
efits. SmartWay – a voluntary program of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) – covers all modes of domestic goods
movement: Truck, rail, barge – and, brand-new in 2016, air. The
program provides no-cost carbon accounting and tracking calcula-
tors. These tools enable freight carriers to readily track, reduce
and share information about their carbon metrics with customers,
employees, suppliers and others in their business network. Each
company that registers with SmartWay has access to free train-
ing, information and technical assistance. EPA also highlights
SmartWay participation at industry events, via the SmartWay
website, through social, print, and other media, and by offering
recognition for top environmental performers.
Since SmartWay was designed with and for business, it incorpo-
rates operational data that many companies already collect, and
converts these operational data into environmental performance
metrics. Businesses can use these metrics to track and highlight
their environmental improvement in ways that their customers
can use in developing their own carbon tracking and performance
goals. With this business intelligence, any shipper, forwarder,
multimodal or 3PL that wants to lean its supply chain can readily
identify which freight carriers are serious about saving fuel and
cutting carbon. And, carriers that participate can contribute to
their customers’ goals for transparency and sustainability, while
cutting their own fuel costs.
SmartWay’s New Air Carrier Module
Because air cargo is a key link in global goods movement, ensur-
ing that air carriers have the ability to participate in SmartWay is
a critical milestone toward enabling businesses to fully assess their
transportation supply chain. Starting this April, any interested
air cargo company can join the program and become SmartWay-
registered. It’s easy and free.
The first step is to visit the SmartWay website (
gov/smartway/forpartners/index.htm). On-line information, avail-
able on April 2, 2016, will walk air cargo companies through the
process of selecting, downloading, and filling out the air calcula-
tor/reporting tool. A sample air tool, complete with illustrative
data, will be available on-line to get you started. Additionally,
interested companies can access the SmartWay helpline, SmartWay
mailbox and free training webinars. By the time this article goes to
print, EPA will announce a date for the air cargo training webinar
on its SmartWay website.
Before taking to the air, EPA invited professionals from the air
cargo industry, academia and other aviation experts to provide
input and feedback on our approaches and methods. This included
beta testing the air cargo calculator with the help of several
companies that operate air cargo fleets and trucking fleets. These
SmartWay-registered trucking fleet partners were the first to also
become registered SmartWay air carrier partners.
Extensive industry collaboration ensured that air cargo end-users
could incorporate data that they already collect into their SmartWay
reporting. This helps minimize added reporting requirements while
enabling air carriers to fully realize the value of these data in carbon
accounting. The calculator tools are also versatile: In addition to
carbon dioxide emissions (CO2 ), the air tool provides information
on emissions of particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen
(NOx). Such information can be especially valuable for companies
concerned about the air quality of the communities they serve.
In addition to a reliable and quantitative measurement of a
company’s transportation carbon footprint, SmartWay-registered
companies have access to other valuable partner-only resources.
These include the SmartWay partner portal (where companies can
download their SmartWay registration certificates and link to other
program information), advance information on SmartWay events,
and SmartWay’s cadre of experienced Partner Account Managers
(PAMs). PAMs are freight specialists dedicated to working with
SmartWay-registered companies to help them submit and quality
check their data, explain program benefits, serve as experienced
program contacts, and point partners to resources and information
that companies can use to cut emissions, save fuel and improve
environmental performance.
By tracking and increasing the efficiency of air freight supply
chains, sharing data and information, and taking advantage of the
analytical and market incentive benefits of SmartWay, air carriers
can raise awareness of the importance of leaner supply chains-
-while demonstrating year-over-year fuel savings and emission
reductions to customers, employees, suppliers and others in their
business networks. This is not only good business for the air indus-
try, it’s good for business—and the environment!
About SmartWay
SmartWay is a voluntary initiative of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). It was launched early in 2004, by EPA
and freight industry leaders. Today, over 3,000 companies across
the US and Canada participate in SmartWay. These include
Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, trucking, rail and
air carriers, multimodal firms, and logistics providers. To date,
SmartWay partners have saved over 7 billion gallons of fuel, cut
fuel costs by nearly $25 billion, and reduced carbon emissions
by nearly 73 million metric tons. EPA and SmartWay are also
providing global leadership for green freight programs interna-
tionally. More information on EPA SmartWay can be found at
www3.epa.gov/smartway.