EDF Shares Best Practices of Carrier, Novo Nordisk and Poland Spring
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recently posted case studies on Carrier, Novo Nordisk and Poland Spring for their innovative greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction strategies.
Corporate fleets in the United States number 3 million vehicles and, on average, each vehicle emits more than 15 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.
These distinctly different companies have implemented strategies that fit with their business needs, have encouraged employees to adopt better long-term driving habits and have resulted in real emissions reductions.
Highlights from the case studies include:
- Carrier, a global manufacturer with more than 40,000 employees, provides air conditioning, heating and refrigeration systems. As part of its parent company United Technologies Corp.'s promise to reduce its global GHG emissions by 12 percent by 2010 (from a 2006 baseline), Carrier embarked on a systematic analysis of its trucks and cars. Through various strategies, including gathering data from telematics equipment and reducing vehicle weights, Carrier has reduced its fleet emissions by 30 percent and is saving $1 million each year in fuel costs.
- Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, treats diabetes. In 2007, the company instituted a goal of reducing emissions by 5 percent per year, each year through 2012. By offering incentives for fuel-smart vehicle choices and training drivers to operate vehicles more efficiently, the company noticed a 24 percent decrease in CO2 emissions for the first six months of 2009.
- Poland Spring water has been bottled in Maine since 1845. The company uses non-food based biofuels, has reduced top speeds by two miles per hour and reduced idling time by 70 percent from 2007 to 2009, to further reduce its truck fleet emissions.