Michigan-based company Meijer is one of 72 companies named as a SmartWay Excellence Award winner by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the agency announced Monday.
The SmartWay Excellence Award is given by the EPA as recognition for top retail and manufacturing carriers that are dedicated to reducing their impact on the environment during shipping. The award aims to recognize the top two percent of companies participating in the SmartWay program dedicated to reducing environmental impact of shipping costs.
“These truck carriers, shippers and third-party logistics providers are leading the industry and showing that it is possible to move more goods while using less fuel, reducing pollution and cutting costs,” said Sarah Dunham, the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality Director, in a statement.
Freight activity more than doubled between 1990 and 2013, according to the SmartWay website. It is projected to nearly double again by 2040.
The EPA splits the awards in three categories: shipper, carrier and logistics. Meijer qualified for the award in both the shipper and carrier categories.
“We are honored to receive such a distinguished award that speaks volumes to the work our logistics team does day after day,” said Tom McCall, Vice President of Logistics for Meijer, in a statement. “Our team diligently works to monitor and improve the efficiency of our fleet with the mission to minimize our carbon footprint across the Midwest.”
The list of awardees also includes Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s and Walmart.
Meijer has been recognized in the past by the agency — as a shipping partner in 2017 and 2018 and as a carrier partner in 2018.
Companies partnering with SmartWay have avoided emitting more than 134 million tons of air pollutants, including NOx, PM and CO2, as well as saved more than 278 million barrels of oil and $37.5 billion in fuel costs. No Meijer-specific data was immediately available.
Meijer has a fleet of 250 semi-trucks that cover more than 27 million miles annually.
– – –
Jordyn Pair is a reporter for Battleground State News and The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
Photo “Meijer Truck” by Meijer.
