Reflecting on FedEx’s 50th Year and Looking Ahead to the Future
Originally published in FedEx's 2023 ESG Report
This year, FedEx celebrates its 50th year of operations—and 50 years of transforming the world by connecting people and possibilities.
I am proud to have been a part of this team for more than three decades and energized by our mission to move FedEx and the world from now to next. We have always been a company of action, and we remain committed to solving problems by finding solutions that go beyond business and benefit all humanity.
In the face of today’s pressing challenges, our purpose—to connect people and possibilities— matters more than ever. Whether collaborating to combat climate change, building teams that reflect the communities we serve, or ensuring integrity in all we do, we are innovating to deliver a more vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.
The success of our efforts is built on our sound environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices, which are aligned with our company strategic focus. We have reported on our environmental and social impact since 2009 and remain steadfast in transparently sharing our progress in three areas that are central to everything we do—our principles, our planet, and our people.
Our principles
We run our business with an absolute commitment to safety, ethics, integrity, and reliability in our global operations, as well as in how we manage supply chain relationships, advocacy, data, and cybersecurity practices. Guided by the FedEx Code of Conduct and reporting channels, we maintain a culture of accountability for team members, suppliers, and customers.
Our planet
Our commitment to acting responsibly and resourcefully also drives our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and build a more sustainable future. We are taking bold action to tackle climate change and invest in solutions to achieve our goal of carbon neutral operations globally by 2040. We have reduced our emissions intensity on a revenue basis by nearly 50% over the last 13 years, even as our average daily package volumes grew by 142%. We are determined to make even greater progress as evidenced by our ambitious goal.
Through our Reduce, Replace, Revolutionize strategy, our investments in three critical areas —vehicle electrification, sustainable energy, and carbon sequestration—have sparked exciting advancements. We continue to expand our zerotailpipe emissions fleet in the United States with the first-ever vehicles from General Motors’ BrightDrop, and we doubled the number of electric cargo bikes in use across Europe.
We are also harnessing the unmatched power of our data insights to increase sustainability throughout the value chain. FedEx® Sustainability Insights is a revolutionary new tool developed by FedEx Dataworks that enables customers to access near real-time emissions data. The tool is designed to provide new levels of transparency to our customers and create a feedback loop for making our own operations more efficient.
Our people
One of our biggest competitive advantages is our culture. Our team members around the world are committed to the Purple Promise: “I will make every FedEx experience outstanding.”
We are focused on making FedEx an outstanding place to work by fostering a diverse and inclusive team that reflects our operations globally. Our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments are aligned with our shared culture values and guided by the absolute belief that everyone deserves to be themselves and see themselves at FedEx. To highlight one example of this belief in action, FedEx team members who identify with a minority group held 36% of U.S. management roles in FY22.
Additionally, we continue to provide opportunities for all team members to advance in their careers at FedEx. More than 33,000 frontline team members are learning new skills through our Purple Pathways program, which won the American Transportation Association DEI Change Leader Award this year. And thousands of team members are earning certificates and degrees through tuition assistance and access to free online courses.
Our efforts to provide fulfilling employment and advancement opportunities, to build community and allyship through affinity groups and resource teams, and our relentless focus on safety and wellbeing has consistently earned FedEx recognition as one of the world’s best places to work.
Where now meets next
This is a pivotal moment for FedEx. We have spent the last 50 years developing solutions that have made the world stronger, smarter, and better. We won’t stop now. As one FedEx, continuing to do our part to build a brighter, more inclusive world will be one of our most important deliveries yet.
