chiefblogger posted on July 07, 2009 12:44
An independent analysis indicates that Chief Enterprises has made significant progress in reducing its environmental impact in the last three years. Chief has taken numerous voluntary steps to make their operations more environmentally sustainable. The results have paid off as Chief has reduced their direct emissions of greenhouse gases by almost 2% since 2006. Even more impressive, indirect emissions from international freight fell by more than 33% from FY2007 to FY2008, averting the release of over 450 metric tons of CO2.
The study commissioned by Chief in the spring is part of an array of efforts designed to identify and avoid potential environmental risks. Beginning in 2004, Chief committed to holding themselves accountable to ISO 14001 environmental and safety standards. The ISO process forced Chief to analyze every aspect of their operations, from office recycling to chemical cleaners and forklift batteries, and identify where environmental or safety issues existed.
From these efforts Chief has developed several successful initiatives including recycling ink cartridges and batteries, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals where possible, reusing packaging materials, and improving Chief’s physical space. Aluminum recycling has been particularly successful, as Chief has found a secondary market for their scraps, displacing the production of 61 tons of aluminum and avoiding the release of 669 metric tons of CO2 over the last decade.
This spring, Chief decided that it was important not only to develop environmental initiatives, but also to measure them. Sam Schiller, an independent environmental consultant, was brought on to evaluate Chief’s emissions profile and assemble a Carbon Baseline Analysis. The report took into account all of Chief emissions from company owned vehicles, electricity and natural gas usage, and its shipments using external carriers. The report follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which was developed by the World Resources Institute and a variety of business leaders to create a standard method of calculating emissions.
The data revealed the success of many of Chief’s efforts, including using more ocean carriers over air freight for their international shipments and driving their most fuel efficient vehicles most often. In addition to identifying sources of emissions, the report outlines over a dozen potential environmental initiatives that could continue to improve Chief’s environmental profile and even cut costs.
These initiatives reinforce Chief’s belief that living in harmony with the environment is not only incredibly important but it also complements their commitment to deliver high quality products and provide exceptional and reliable service.