Major shipping companies have taken important steps to improve their climate performance in 2008 according to Climate Counts, which released its second annual ranking of the sector’s climate performance. Improvements were made industry-wide and DHL again leads the pack with a score of 67 points (up from 45 in last year’s ranking), followed by FedEx with 53 points (from 28 last year), the U.S. Postal Service with 50 points (up from 43) and UPS up one point from last year with a score of 40 points. The full scorecard is available at http://www.climatecounts.org/.
“This is great news for holiday shoppers looking to make their gift-giving as green as possible this year and an indication of what hope to continue to see from the shipping sector,” said Wood Turner, Project Director of Climate Counts. “We are glad to see improvements across the board in this sector since last year. It certainly contrasts with the fast-food sector, which continues to lag in meaningful efforts to address global warming and energy conservation. Hopefully, the shipping sector’s progress will be an example to others.”
Since the first Climate Counts shipping scorecard, launched in late 2007, the biggest improvements in the sector come from FedEx and DHL, who have boosted their measurement of their global warming pollution. The companies have strengthened their goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (and reported on the achievement of real reductions) as well as the climate accountability of their management. Additionally, both DHL and FedEx have taken positive — and increasingly vocal — positions on public policy that would address global climate change.
“Our scoring occurred prior to the DHL restructuring announcement, so we will be watching DHL's climate actions closely in the year ahead given the change in their business,” said Turner. “We certainly regret seeing a climate leader pull out of the US market. It hurts consumers who are eager to support companies that reflect their values.”
Climate Counts’ rankings are on a 0-100 point scale and based on 22 criteria, measuring companies’ efforts to assess their climate “footprints,” reduce their pollution, support (or oppose) progress on major climate legislation and communicate their efforts clearly and comprehensively. The Climate Counts Company Scorecard offers shoppers who want to “ship green” the chance to vote with their dollars by supporting companies that are most aggressively pursuing solutions to the growing climate crisis.
The Climate Counts Company Scorecard was developed with oversight from a panel of business and climate experts from leading non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. Criteria were chosen for their effectiveness at accomplishing a single goal: stopping global warming. Climate Counts researchers used these criteria to rate companies based on a point system for climate-related actions. Companies were given the opportunity to confirm or provide public data sources.
Climate Counts is a non-profit organization bringing consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change. It was launched with financial support from Stonyfield Farm. Please visit www.climatecounts.org for more information.
