Cardinal Health Gets Highest EPA Transport Score

Cardinal Health, a $99 billion health care services company, has earned the top score in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay Carrier Partnership.

The company said it is one of just a few to join the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership as both a carrier (a company that owns or operates a public or private fleet) and a shipper (a company that ships or receives items delivered by truck or rail). It earned the highest possible score of 1.25 as a member of the Carrier Partnership and was recognized as being in the top five percent of all companies in the Shipper Partnership.

The partnership brings together major freight shippers, trucking companies, distribution firms and trade associations in an effort to reduce emissions. The partnership aims to save 1.5 billion gallons of fuel, $3.6 billion in fuel costs, 14.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 215,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 8,000 tons of particulate matter.

As a SmartWay Transport Partner, Cardinal Health has committed to improve its environmental performance by:

• Measuring its current environmental performance with the SmartWay Transport FLEET (Fleet Logistics Energy and Environmental Tracking) Performance Model for carriers;
• Creating an action plan for improving the environmental performance of its fleet within three years; and
• Reporting to the EPA annually regarding its progress toward achieving its environmental goals.

As an EPA SmartWay Shipper Partner, Cardinal Health has committed to:

• Shipping at least 50 percent of its goods using SmartWay Truck Carrier Partners
• Adopting recommended SmartWay Transport Shipper Strategies, which range from implementing 'no idling' policies to incorporating warehouse improvements that reduce emissions.

"We're proud to join the SmartWay Transport Partnership and to be recognized by the U.S. EPA for our work in the area of environmental sustainability," said Frank Macielak, vice president of environment, health and safety for Cardinal Health. "This is an important milestone as we strive to reduce our carbon footprint and improve our overall sustainability efforts."

A recent report found that trucking companies cannot rely solely on the SmartWay Partnership truck model when accounting for greenhouse gas emissions, however. SmartWay  calculates emissions generated from a company’s on-road vehicle fleet. But the study by the American Transportation Research Institute said that significant sources of trucking company emissions also include on-site equipment, office space, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems.