UPS and USPS have extended their long-standing cooperation under a joint environmentalpartnership called ‘Blue and Brown Make Green’ to deliver mail and parcels at the lowest possible
cost with minimal impact on the environment.In an official video address to a global audience, USPS Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe andUPS CEO Scott Davis explained that by optimising the existing synergies of both companies, they canimprove operational efficiency with the aim to reduce the carbon emissions of their supply chains.While preserving the environment, it will also drive down the costs which will considerably benefitUSPS and UPS customers.
“We’ve named our partnership ‘Blue and Brown Make Green’. By working together, the PostalService and UPS are able to reduce costs, serve our customers better and achieve sustainabilitygoals, such as reducing our carbon footprints,” Donahoe confirmed.
The partnership bears mutual benefits for both companies as they are each other’s customerswhile being keen competitors at the same time. USPS delivers many of UPS’s parcels through its“last mile” network which includes Parcel Select and Parcel Return service. The latter makes itconvenient for UPS customers to drop returnable goods at post offices for UPS to retrieve andreturn to retailers. In turn, UPS transports millions of pounds of USPS letter and parcel mailacross the country and around the world.
“Our working relationship with UPS supports the Postal Service’s goal to deliver mail at thelowest cost with minimal impact on the environment. It’s a great template for how posts and privateenterprises can work together to better serve customers, the planet and the bottom line. We hopeour partnership can serve as a model for others to work together in new ways, whether they arecompetitors, collaborators, customers or all the above,” Donahoe added.
Davis commented on the partnership: “It certainly describes what the Postal Service and UPS havebeen working on together. The world is changing dramatically as we become a more global economy.And, it takes big ideas and bold moves to keep up. This collaboration to reduce the carbonfootprint of our respective supply chains is the sustainability wave of the future.”
USPS is a member of the Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS) launched by theInternational Post Corporation with 25 other postal operators participating to work towards acommon goal of reducing their carbon footprint 20% by 2020, compared to 2008. UPS is providingsustainability data to USPS for that programme.
Meanwhile, UPS has been rated the best in the consumer shipping category of the Climate CountsCompany Scorecard for the fourth year in a row for its sustainable operations and in recognition ofits environmental leadership. UPS is the only transportation and logistics provider to appear inthe top tier of this year’s global list of 145 companies by the non-profit organisation ClimateCounts.
“During this shopping season, the Climate Counts Scorecard offers environmentally-consciousconsumers a convenient tool to make more sustainable gift-giving choices,” said Scott Wicker, UPSChief Sustainability Officer. “Being cited by Climate Counts once again validates UPS’s industryleadership, our commitment to our customers, and our commitment to sustainability.” UPS said it wasrated as “soaring” which recognises companies that are “demonstrating truly exceptional leadershipon climate change.” Only 15 companies earned that accolade.
The Climate Counts annual report rates major consumer brands on their approach to climate changebased on 22 criteria that measure efforts to assess their climate footprint, reduce greenhouse gasemissions, support progress on climate legislation and communicate their efforts clearly andcomprehensively to consumers.
