UPS’s 16th annual Sustainability Report highlights the company’s sustainability challenges and accomplishments during 2017, including progress toward its 2020 and 2025 goals in support of the environment, global workforce, and communities around the world. The report also showcases investments in cutting-edge technologies that are advancing UPS’s integrated network to new levels of efficiency and creating tangible sustainability benefits.
UPS’s 2017 sustainability highlights include:
Incorporating virtual reality technology into safety training, which enables employees to practice defensive driving techniques in real-world scenarios.
Adding 1,192 vehicles to the UPS “rolling laboratory,” a specialized fleet of approximately 9,100 vehicles worldwide (as of April 2018), spanning a range of technologies including electric, hybrid electric, hydraulic hybrid, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), propane, and electrically-assisted bicycles.
Accelerating investments in fleet electrification by pre-ordering 125 of Tesla’s fully electric Semi trucks; piloting smart-grid vehicle charging technology at our Central London center; and collaborating with Workhorse Group to deploy electric vehicles comparable in acquisition cost to conventional gasoline- or diesel-powered trucks – removing a barrier to large-scale adoption.
Collaborating with cities to develop new package delivery solutions, including a “depot-to-door” pilot in London that uses an electrically assisted trailer to deliver packages from a central location; introducing an “Eco Hub” solution – a mini distribution center from which deliveries are made by foot or eBike – in Dublin; and piloting eBikes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Expanding the partnership between The UPS Foundation; Zipline, a drone technology startup; and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to use drones to deliver urgently needed medical supplies to remote areas in Rwanda.
Collaborating with the American Red Cross, and drone manufacturer CyPhy Works, Inc., to test the use of drone technology in assessing damage in the wake of disasters.
UPS’s 2017 Sustainability Progress Report and GRI Content Index are available at ups.com/sustainability. The UPS GRI Content Index has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: Comprehensive option.