FedEx commits to carbon neutral operations by 2040

By Transport Intelligence

FedEx Corp. has announced an ambitious goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040. 

To help reach this goal, FedEx is investing more than $2bn in three key areas: vehicle electrification, sustainable energy, and carbon sequestration.

This includes a pledge of $100m to Yale University to help establish the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture, accelerating research into methods of carbon sequestration at scale, with an initial focus on helping to offset greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to current airline emissions.   

Key steps toward reaching the carbon-neutral goal include:  

• Vehicle Electrification: By 2040, the entire FedEx parcel pickup and delivery (PUD) fleet will be zero-emission electric vehicles. This will be accomplished through phased programmes to replace existing vehicles.  
• Sustainable Fuels: FedEx will continue to invest in alternative fuels to reduce aircraft and vehicle emissions.  
• Fuel Conservation and Aircraft Modernisation: FedEx will build on its FedEx Fuel Sense initiatives designed to reduce fuel consumption in its aircraft.
• Facilities: FedEx will continue efforts to make its more than 5,000 facilities worldwide more sustainable through continued investments in facilities, renewable energy, and other energy management programmes.  

According to FedEx, since 2009, its efforts to reduce carbon emissions has contributed to an approximately 40% reduction in CO2 emissions intensity across the enterprise while package volume increased 99% during that period.

“While we’ve made great strides in reducing our environmental impact, we have to do more. The long-term health of our industry is directly linked to the health of the planet, but this effort is about more than the bottom line – it’s the right thing to do,” said Mitch Jackson, Chief Sustainability Officer, FedEx Corp.

Source: FedEx