UPS Adopts Plan to Cut Its Airline Carbon Emissions An Additional 20% by 2020; Biofuels Part of the Plan
08 July 2009
| UPS Airlines CO2 emissions per Available Ton Mile, historical and targeted. Click to enlarge. |
UPS has adopted a plan to cut the carbon emissions of its airline by an additional 20% by 2020 to 1.24 CO2 lbs/ATM (Available Ton Mile), for a cumulative reduction of 42% since 1990. UPS intends to achieve its 2020 airline goals by:
- Investing in more fuel-efficient aircraft types and engines;
- Fuel-saving operational initiatives, such as lower flight speeds; reduced flight segments, where viable; computer-optimized flight plans; computer-managed aircraft taxi times; and jet engine washing; and
- The introduction of biofuels, which UPS says it believes will be available before 2020.
| UPS Airlines aviation gallons burned per 100 Available Ton Miles, historical and targeted. Click to enlarge. |
UPS operates the world’s ninth largest airline, with 600 aircraft (owned and leased) and 1,900 daily flight legs that reach into 800 destinations in 200 countries and territories worldwide. Jet A fuel is the leading source of UPS global enterprise CO2 emissions at 52.6%, followed by diesel at 32.7%.
The company’s air system includes international air hubs in Cologne, Germany; Taipei, Taiwan; Shanghai; Miami (to serve Latin America), an intra-Asia hub in the Philippines; and UPS Worldport, the Louisville, Ky., four-million-square-foot heart of UPS’s global air network.
| UPS started replacing 747-200s with the more fuel-efficient 747-400s aircraft in 2007. Click to enlarge. |
The CO2 reduction goal is laid out in the latest edition of UPS’s Sustainability Report, which notes that UPS Airlines already is a leader in fuel efficiency in the package delivery sector with an efficiency factor of 1.42 CO2 pounds per ATM.
The report further discloses UPS’ total global carbon inventory including Scope 1 (direct) emissions as well as Scope 2 and 3 (indirect) emissions, a level of reporting unusual for its industry. In 2008, Scope 1 and 2 emissions were 13.2 million metric tonnes, compared to 13.3 million metric tonnes in 2007. However, Scope 3 emissions rose to 2.2 million metric tonnes in 2008 from 1.9 MMT in 2007.
...customers rely on the transportation and logistics industry as part of their supply chains. They need accurate information from the industry in order to calculate their own CO2 inventories and report them to the public. For that reason, we advocate full disclosure (Scopes 1, 2 and 3) for the entire transportation and logistics industry.
—UPS Chairman and CEO Scott Davis
The aircraft goal is the first of a series of carbon reduction goals that the company plans to set in the coming years, according to Bob Stoffel, UPS senior vice president and the executive responsible for UPS’ sustainability program. “We set our first goal for aircraft emissions because our jet planes are the source of 53% of UPS’ carbon output,” Stoffel added.
UPS also operates the largest private alternative fuel/technology ground vehicle fleet in the package sector, now totaling 1,819 vehicles in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the United States. More than a third of its alternative fuel/technology vehicles operate outside the United States. In 2008, it increased the number of vehicles powered by electricity, compressed natural gas, liquid natural gas, and hybrid combinations. UPS also purchased and deployed a hydraulic hybrid vehicle (HHV).
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Now if UPS would just adopt a plan to train their drivers not to cut people off and not to park any place they please.
I have yet to see any of the alt-fuel trucks. All UPS trucks that i see are still running diesel.
But kudos for any improvement.
Posted by: danm | 08 July 2009 at 07:28 AM
Why not just tell it like it is? These transport companies want and need to move to alternative fuels for purposes of Energy Independence.
This is a move to cut the flow of $700 billion for foreign oil; to improve energy security and grow domestic energy resources. Good for all (except big oil.)
Good news.
Posted by: sulleny | 08 July 2009 at 09:41 AM
If they can get approval for synthetic jet fuel, cargo is a good place to run it first, they are moving packages, not people.
If FedEx and UPS can run bio jet fuel for years with no problems, then it is easier to approve its use in passenger aircraft. One step at a time in the right direction.
Posted by: SJC | 08 July 2009 at 04:43 PM
It makes me wonder how many UPS facilities are anywhere near a railway track and why there are no UPS trains except for the three trailer versions on the highways. UPS is already trying out hydraulic hybrids.
How much butane could be mixed with jet A upon fueling to save on cost and CO2. Synthetic jet A made from all the organic materials going to landfills could be part of the answer, and if there is not enough rubbish, any form of coal will do as well. A coal to liquid fuel economy does not need to put more CO2 into the air than the petroleum industry; although, it would be put into the air in this country rather than elsewhere. Eventually, fuels synthetically made from CO2 and H2O with energy from nuclear reactions will be the answer. It has been the answer for the billions of years of the sun's existence and life on the earth. Even Geothermal energy comes from nuclear reactions. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 11 July 2009 at 09:43 AM