LEDVANCE Receives US EPA 2017 SmartWay Excellence Award
Wilmington, Mass. – LEDVANCE, the maker of SYLVANIA general lighting in the United States and Canada, was honored with a SmartWay® Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an industry leader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency. The EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest, most energy-efficient way possible, while protecting public health and reducing the impacts of climate change. Demonstrating a commitment to corporate sustainability and social responsibility through SmartWay provides for a more competitive and sustainable business environment. Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting more than 94 million metric tons of air pollutants, while saving more than 197 million barrels of oil and $27.8 billion in fuel costs – equivalent to eliminating the annual energy use of over 12 million homes. SmartWay also contributes to cleaner air and healthier citizens by significantly reducing emissions of the pollution that contributes to smog, including fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.
LEDVANCE was one of 62 companies to receive this distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay’s 3600 Partners. The Excellence Awardees were honored at the American Trucking Associations Management & Exhibition Annual Conference held in Orlando, Florida on October 23, 2017. LEDVANCE is continually reviewing its carrier structure to look at modal optimization strategies using different modes of transportation to reduce fuel and emissions. A key objective has been to transition traditionally long haul truckload shipments to intermodal shipments. This would allow road transportation usage for pickup and delivery only, and rail usage between the origin and destination points, reducing both fuel consumption and attributable emissions. A single lane conversion in 2015 resulted in an annual fuel consumption savings of $425,000 and a reduction of over 2 million pounds of CO2 emissions.
“Using tools provided by SmartWay has helped us to identify areas of improvement each year and create a more focused business strategy that better utilizes SmartWay Carriers to achieve a lower carbon footprint,” said Stephen McCabe, Director Transportation Americas, LEDVANCE. In addition, LEDVANCE has had a "no-idling" policy at all its facilities since 2006. At the warehouses, carrier congestion and unnecessary idling is eliminated using a drop-and-hook program whereby each day carriers drop an empty trailer to be loaded, and then immediately pick up a loaded trailer. The company has also set up a special trailer that has a block heater and is hooked up to an electric outlet during colder days, almost eliminating the otherwise necessary idling and corresponding emissions.
Another way LEDVANCE is striving to reduce its impact on the environment is that on an annual basis the company reviews its pool locations and compares against routing direct Less than Load (LTL) shipments from its plants. This helps determine whether additional points can be included, and identify any that need to be excluded. In doing so, LEDVANCE has been effective in lowering the distance traveled per shipment. "Since 2004, EPA and the business community have collaborated through the SmartWay Partnership to reduce the economic and environmental costs of goods movement, a vital sector of our national economy,” said Christopher Grundler, Director of the EPA's Office of Transportation & Air Quality, “This year's award-winning freight carriers, shippers and third-party logistics companies demonstrate that they can move more goods, more miles, while using less fuel. These firms are not only serving the growing needs of their customers -- they are also doing their part to keep our environment clean and protect human health."
LEDVANCE is redefining the role of light in a connected and sustainable world. With over a century of lighting expertise and a legacy rooted in the SYLVANIA brand, LEDVANCE delivers advanced lighting and energy solutions that go beyond illumination. In North America, our portfolio includes LEDVANCE and SYLVANIA LED luminaires, EV chargers, smart lighting for homes and buildings, and one of the industry’s most comprehensive selections of LED and traditional lamps. Guided by our mantra Power Through Light, we empower professionals and consumers to create better environments, reduce energy costs, and contribute to a greener planet.
