Ryder Cuts Direct, Indirect GHG Emissions

Posted

Ryder System's direct GHG emissions fell two percent in 2010, from 470,481 metric tons to 461,828 metric tons, and were down 18 percent on 2008’s level of 565,488 metric tons, according to the company’s latest corporate sustainability report.

Direct emissions included on-site natural gas consumption and Ryder owned/operated vehicles.

The Fortune 500 transportation, logistics and supply chain management company said it expanded its participation in the EPA’s SmartWay Transportation partnership by providing customers with detailed information on total carbon footprint and CO2 per ton/mile.

In the report, Ryder said that SmartWay carriers accounted for 92 percent of the freight miles it managed in 2010 versus 90 percent in 2009, and accounted for 77 percent of all freight tons Ryder managed in 2010 versus 72 perccent in 2009.

In 2011 the company expanded natural gas vehicle capability to Arizona and Michigan. Ryder was also selected in 2010 by California’s San Bernardino Associated Governments Board for a $38.7 million project to deploy compressed and liquefied natural gas (CNG and LNG) trucks, funded as a public-private partnership between Ryder, the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy. To support these trucks, Ryder is building two natural gas refueling stations within the region and is working with customers to identify and use the refueling infrastructure already located throughout Southern California.

The company says that when fully implemented, the project will replace more than 1.51 million gallons of diesel use annually, eliminating more than 2.65 tons of diesel particulate emissions, and cutting more than 9.2 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and over 131 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions a year.

The company says its RydeSmart telematics technology is helping fleet managers to achieve a 10 to 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption through improved routing and reduction of unauthorized idle time. It says RydeSmart installations, in about 10,000 leased and 11,000 rental vehicles, are saving over 12,600 tons of CO2 a year.

Ryder now offers diesel exhaust fluid at all 550 of its service locations, to support vehicles using selective catalytic reduction technology. In anticipation of increasing DEF demand, Ryder is adding bulk storage and DEF pumps at its largest shop facilities throughout North America.

It also continues to offer RydeGreen, a line of tractors and trailers designed to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The tractors are equipped with SmartWay Verified Technologies.

The company’s indirect emissions, covering purchased electricity at Ryder owned and leased locations, fell from 91,090 metric tons to 86,420 metric tons in 2010 – down from 109,728 metric tons in 2008.

Ryder’s electricity use fell four percent in 2010 to 161.8 million kWh, from 169.2 million kWh in 2009. Energy efficiency initiatives have included installing timers or sensing controls on all non-security lighting at fuel islands, washbays, and storage areas; routine inspection and replacement of weather stripping on doors and caulking around windows every three years to prevent heating and cooling loss; and replacing manual thermostats with locking, programmable thermostats.

In 2009 Ryder started a lighting conversion project that targeted older buildings first, replacing old metal halide fixtures that have a lumens/watt rating of 3.51 with newer fluorescent lamp assemblies that have a lumens/watt rating of 65.8. After the conversion, energy consumption dropped by 28.5 percent.

By employing server virtualization technologies at four major data centers in the U.S., Ryder says it has reduced the number of general shared-use servers from 300 to 20. An additional 100 dedicated-use servers are targeted for consolidation.

Ryder’s gas consumption fell three percent from 2009 to 2010, from 624,563 million to 603,143 million cubic feet, but water consumption rose by two percent, from 341,761 million to 348,728 million gallons.

In 2010, Ryder Scope 3 emissions associated with employee business travel were 13,510 metric tons. Ryder says that starting in 2009, it implemented initiatives to better track, report and reduce these emissions. The company improved its Carbon Disclosure Project Score from 50 to 83 in 2011.

Ryder's total recycling volume of oil, oily water, automotive waste filters and solvents rose from 4.08 million gallons in 2009 to 4.12 million gallons in 2010. The company did not provide data on the proportion of waste that it recycles.

It did say that nearly 50 percent of the tires it uses are retread tires, which require 70 percent less energy to produce than new tires. It also said it recycles more than 50,000 automotive batteries a year; recycles all parts cleaning solvents, automotive fluids, and refrigerants; and donates or recycles all used electronics.

In 2010, Ryder began distributing re-refined motor oil to 200 of its Fleet Management Solutions locations in the U.S. It also recycled more than 5,800 tons of office paper and cardboard, up from 3,400 tons in 2009.

Environment + Energy Leader