The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership has had a profound effect on trucking since its debut in 2004. The program estimates that partners in the effort have eliminated 28 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, resulting in a savings of 65 million barrels of oil and $8.1 billion in fuel costs. If not an outright member, many trucking operations have at least adopted some fuel-saving initiatives verified by the program.
Whether a fleet has adopted SmartWay technologies or not, though, it probably faces some level of pressure from shippers that are looking to green their supply chains any way they can. Many Americans know SC Johnson as “a family company” that produces such iconic brands as Pledge, Windex, Shout and Drano, to name a few, but it is also a company deeply concerned about its environmental impact.
SC Johnson has cut greenhouse gas emissions from its factories by 40.2% since 2000, eliminated 60% of its waste in the same timeframe, and 30% of its global energy use now comes from renewable sources. In addition, it dedicates a portion of its website to helping consumers make green choices in their lives. While the company does not own any vehicles, it still participates in the SmartWay program as a shipper. Last October, SC Johnson was awarded a SmartWay Excellence Award for its work in leading the way in improving supply chain environmental performance, and it is providing lessons from which all fleets can learn.
EPA cited SC Johnson for its efforts in using the empty miles of other companies’ private fleets to reduce overall transportation miles, for initiatives in using intermodal transportation when possible, and incorporating “co-shipping” to decrease the number of trucks required to ship within a region.
“SC Johnson has a long history of fostering sustainable efforts to maximize our energy efficiency. Our participation in the EPA SmartWay Transport program is just one example of our commitment to sustainability,” a spokesperson told Fleet Owner.
SC Johnson works with outside logistics firms to move its products, but it also works with private fleets looking to fill backhauls.
“For example, if we ship and unload products from our manufacturing facility in Racine, WI, to a customer in Milwaukee, a partner company will fill the truck with their goods and send the truck back to Racine. This way, we aren’t wasting energy by shipping an empty truck,” the spokesperson says. “Ensuring full loads in both directions is one of the best ways to improve efficiency. We are looking to increase the percentage of shipping handled this way in an effort to eliminate empty miles and aim to expand this category by forming new partnerships.”
The company has also taken advantage of technology and partner companies to ensure trailers are full.
Tech approach
At its Waxdale manufacturing plant in Mt. Pleasant, WI, SC Johnson employs load-building software. Using the software, SC Johnson is able to accurately determine the space required for its shipments, maximizing each inch of a trailer. That also helps identify extra trailer space that is made available to other fleets with less-than-truckload freight—reducing costs and improving efficiency for everyone involved.
“If a shipment of SC Johnson products only takes up two-thirds of a truck going to a customer, another supplier nearby will collaborate with SC Johnson to fill the remaining space. This process helps to decrease less-than-truckload shipping and improve the cost per pound to suppliers,” the company notes.
There is a no-idling policy for trucks at the Waxdale plant and spotter trucks used to move trailers around the facility run on biodiesel. The plant also is completely powered by two on-site 415-ft. wind turbines that work in tandem with a cogeneration system to produce 100% of the electrical needs on site.
To SC Johnson, though, being part of SmartWay demonstrates its overall commitment to sustainability.
“We pride ourselves on our SmartWay partnership as part of our company-wide sustainability efforts,” the spokesperson says.
Concerned shippers
“Shippers, like any other business, are interested in continuously improving efficiency. Participating in SmartWay helps enhance SC Johnson’s collaborative sustainability efforts across the value chain,” the spokesperson continues. “For example, this year we met with a major customer to discuss supply chain partnerships, and we shared our participation in SmartWay, which helped us highlight our commitment to the environment, energy efficiency and cost savings. We share our achievements in this area both internally and externally and are proud to have been honored with a SmartWay Excellence Award from the EPA in 2013.
“Our commitment to sustainability is shared across all divisions of the company,” the spokesperson adds. “We’re focused on making a positive impact at every stage of a product’s lifecycle—from responsible supply chain decisions to post-consumer recycling.”
In fact, the company has been honored numerous times for its sustainability efforts, including earning EPA’s Climate Leadership Award in 2012 and EPA’s Green Power Leadership Award in 2011.
In 2000, the Samuel C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise was endowed at Cornell University and in 2012 the company announced the SC Johnson Sustainable Behavior Change Program, a research project that studies how to inspire behavior change around sustainable choices.
As more manufacturers across the country take notice of what SC Johnson and others are doing to green their supply chain, trucking fleets must be ready to adapt.
“We require all new carriers that we work with to participate in SmartWay, and we share this requirement at our annual bid meetings with new carriers and on a quarterly basis with existing carriers,” the spokesperson says. “Participation in SmartWay is one of the scoring criteria on the quarterly carrier scorecards which drive business decisions about which carriers we award business.”
SC Johnson was founded in 1886 and employs nearly 13,000 people worldwide today. It is a family-led business run by chairman & CEO Fisk Johnson, the great-great-grandson of founder Samuel Curtis Johnson.
