FedEx Blazing Trail for Efficient Fleets and Fuels

Mitch Jackson Explains How Technology and Team Members Are Key
Apr 27, 2017 10:00 AM ET
Headshot of Mitch Jackson

THE PRACTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST  

Mitch Jackson, Vice-President Environmental Affairs and Sustainability, FedEx Corporation

FedEx approaches sustainability with a laser focus. We’re interested in changing what’s possible.

Practical sustainability requires leadership, service innovation and efficiency from FedEx team members. We also need smart collaboration with other organizations, such as Environmental Defense Fund and WRI EMBARQ. It’s about strategic and transformational stewardship that adds value from our efforts to be more responsible.

Technological innovation is the most revolutionary development I see on the horizon, whether we are talking about vehicle electrification, autonomous capabilities, or other technical breakthroughs. Operational changes are also needed. For example, FedEx is also advocating for the use of 33-foot twin trailers, which would reduce carbon emissions by 4.4 billion pounds each year and save more than 200 million gallons of fuel and reduce accidents.

Our team members across the world don’t just deliver packages, they connect the world responsibly and resourcefully. Empowered by our EarthSmart® program, our more than 400,000 team members contribute to the company’s sustainability efforts. They serve our customers through EarthSmart innovations like the FedEx carbon-neutral envelope shipping, or through the use of FedEx zero emission electric, natural gas, or hybrid electric vehicles, among many other initiatives.

To learn more about sustainability efforts at FedEx, visit csr.fedex.com to view the 2017 Global Citizenship Report. Highlights from the reporting period covered by the report include:

  • FedEx avoided more than 2 million metric tons of CO2e ― equivalent to the carbon sequestered by more than 1.9 million acres of U.S. forest in one year.
  • FedEx has more than 2,700 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet — an increase of nearly 44% since FY15.
  • FedEx Express set a new goal to increase vehicle fleet efficiency 50 percent by 2025 from a 2005 baseline, after meeting the 2020 goal five years early.