The SmartWay Transportation Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages best practices in freight supply chains. SmartWay helps partners to:
- benchmark their operations
- track fuel consumption and improve overall performance
- attract business and differentiate their operations from competitors
Global trade has a net positive effect on the world economy. However, associated freight transportation produces adverse impacts on the environment and public health.
U.S. trends point to rapid growth in freight activity.
- Between 1990 and 2013, freight activity grew by over 50 percent and is projected to nearly double again by 2040.
- Experts project that by 2050, global freight transport emissions will surpass those from passenger vehicles.
These trends compel many corporations to seek opportunities to assess and streamline shipping operations so they can use less fuel and generate less pollution.
To address these trends and challenges, EPA developed the SmartWay program.
Launched in 2004, this voluntary public-private program:
- provides a comprehensive and well-recognized system for tracking, documenting and sharing information about fuel use and freight emissions across supply chains
- helps companies identify and select more efficient freight carriers, transport modes, equipment, and operational strategies to improve supply chain sustainability and lower costs from goods movement
- supports global energy security and offsets environmental risk for companies and countries
- reduces freight transportation-related emissions by accelerating the use of advanced fuel-saving technologies
- is supported by major transportation industry associations, environmental groups, state and local governments, international agencies, and the corporate community
This voluntary partnership between the EPA and the freight industry has since grown its membership to more than 3,700 companies and organizations.
So many businesses and environmental organizations participate because SmartWay has helped raise awareness concerning freight’s economic importance, underscore its prominence in the value chain, and make it clear that optimizing the transportation network can help corporate leaders and government policymakers get closer to achieving their environmental goals.
Riverside decided to use SmartWay data to track the imact that our freight has on our sustainability goals and follow a commitment to clean, efficient freight. The plans that we develop through our use of SmartWay data from our carriers encourages us to find solutions for the global movement of our freight and make it more efficient in ways that reduce climate, health, energy and economic impacts.
The choices that we make when we better understand our freight operations will also help us to achieve our Scope 3 SBTi targets. Guided by SmartWay data combined with our internal initiatives, we can use technologies that can decrease the environmental impact of freight transport such as aerodynamic technologies, idle reduction systems and low rolling-resistance tires, careful selection of our freight partners and optimizing our shipping processes and procedures.
Environmental performance is becoming more important as a business metric. To become more competitive, we knew that we must have a firm commitment to boost productivity, cut harmful emissions, no matter how we are moving our products. Commitment to environmental performance will make Riverside a more resilient and successful company for the future.