Measuring Performance: Deutsche Post DHL Performance to Date.

Deutsche Post DHL have gone to great lengths to describe how they calculate their Carbon Emmisions and Efficiency Index . The company set up, in 2010 a dedicated Carbon Accounting and Controlling Department. The department is responsible for reporting the index following Greenhouse Gas Protocol and ISO 14064 standards.

Auditing of the performance data has been assigned tp PWC (Price Waterhouse Coopers) who state in their report :
Based on our assignment, selected web-pages and performance indicators presented on the "Responsibility" web sites of the DPDHL corporate website www.dp-dhl.com have been subject to our assurance engagement. Where our assurance engagement covered full web-pages these are labeled with the symbol “√”, while the symbol “[√]” labels web-pages on which only selected information - as 
specified at the end of the respective web-pages - have been subject to our engagement.

The Performance Summary web page does not bare the “[√]” label so, I deduce, that this is not PWC assured information. What is interesting to note is that the performance index is already at 88 (2020 goal = 70). Is this surprising? The company is reporting that they are almost half way to achieving their goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30%.

Why did PWC not audit the all important performance index? Maybe it was so complex a task they could not complete the audit in time or maybe DPDHL determined that these were web pages not selected for audit.

I will endeavor to secure a comment from PWC and DPDHL to help answer these questions.

 

Deutsche Post Approach to Sustainability

Deutsche Post DHL has published the study Delivering Tomorrow: Towards Sustainable Logistics . The study highlights key trends and expert opinion to guide the role of logistics in moving to a low-carbon future.

Deutsche Post DHL are implementing a program,Go Green introduced in 2010. The program has been launched group-wide with an updated Environmental Policy.  Deutsche Post DHL core businesses, mail and logistics, result in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), making climate protection the primary focus of their efforts. However, the environmental protection program, Go Green, also sets the stage for  environmental management systems, covering the local management of aspects such as water, waste, noise, the use of natural resources and local air pollution.


Specifically the policy aims to;

• Improve carbon efficiency by 30% by 2020 compared to 2007. This includes emissions from subcontracted transportation.
• Comply with applicable international, regional and national environmental regulations, and taking additional measures to continually improve environmental performance.
• Develop and maintain an environmental management system which is ISO 14001 compliant.
• Work with suppliers to minimize the environmental impact of the goods and services procured.
• Considering environmental aspects in all major investment and procurement decisions.
• Offer carbon-neutral, carbon-reduced and environmentally-friendly products and services to help customers to “go green”, and to generate value.
• Work with customers to assess and reduce their environmental footprint and to achieve their environmental goals.

To implement GoGreen successfully across the Group, the program is driven by dedicated departments at corporate and divisional level and strongly linked with the Group’s management processes.

Corporate Sustainability Initiatives - Coke CEO announces strategy

Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent addressed a standing room only Student Center Grand Ballroom at Colorado State University.

Kent spoke mainly of Coca-Cola's efforts to promote sustainability across the globe. The Coloradoan Report . Kent stated that Coca-Cola has a vision for the world to consume more than 3 billion servings each day by 2020. To ensure that natural resources are protected Coca-Cola has outlined "four pillars of sustainability": Water stewardship, sustainable packaging, reducing the company's carbon footprint and working with communities to become more sustainable.

3 billion servings per day represents an enormous bulk of product moving through supply chains. The good news is that bulk handling systems are being developed that enable goods to be densely stored in energy efficient systems. In the last few days Fortna a Reading, PA integrated supply chain systems company were presented in DC Velocity . In the article Brent Tymensky, Fortna's VP of Design Engineering, highlighted the capabilities of space and energy efficient Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems. In the video presentation Tymensky highlights that the adoption rate for these systems has been higher in Japan and Europe where land and energy costs are much higher than the U.S.

In more recent times interest in these systems has increased in the U.S. Clearly if big corporations like Coca-Cola are increasing the priority of their focus on sustainability then it will follow that they will be evaluating automated systems that will go a long way towards lowering their carbon footprint.

Siemens Approach to Sustainability

Siemens have published a Sustainability Report 2010 that highlights how Siemens has siezed opportunities, minimized risks and set about living sustainability values. The report has defined a strategic plan to improve sustainability. The plan includes baseline data and measurable targets.

To make the company sustainable 'in every respect' Siemens is targeting its internal environment, its employees, suppliers and other industry stakeholders. In addition Siemens is seeking to generate at least €40 revenue from green products and solutions by the end of 2014. These products will cut carbon emissions by 300 million tons per year.

Siemens has established a Sustainability Advisory Board to help build sustainability awareness. The Board has introduced an idea competition and training programs to foster employee enthusiasm for sustainability.

Siemens acknowledges the megatrends, climate change, globalization, urbanization and demographic change. In response Siemens is offering a wide range of products and solutions to master these challenges. These include water treatment, clean energy generation and medical supply chain innovations.

Siemens and its partners have commissioned The Green City Index to provide city leaders with a benchmark to evaluate their own city services. Siemens is developing "Green" infrastructure solutions to improve air quality, process drinking water, energy delivery and building energy consumption.

Top 10 Best Performing Global Companies on the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index

Global 500: Top companies recognized on both Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index and the Carbon Performance Leadership Index CDP 2010 Results

The companies listed are those that have been in the project for three consecutive years.

1. Siemens (Industrials). Siemens German headquartered engineering conglomerate, the largest of its kind in Europe. Worldwide, Siemens and its subsidiaries operate in nearly 190 countries.

2. Deutsche Post (Industrials). Deutsche Post German headquartered, the world's largest logistics group. Worldwide Deutsche Post operates in more than 220 countries.

3. BASF (Materials). BASF German headquartered chemical company, the largest of its kind in the world. BASF operates in 80 countries.

4. Bayer (Healthcare). Bayer German headquartered chemical and pharmaceutical company, well known for its original brand of aspirin. Bayer operates in more than 60 countries.

5. Samsung Electronics (Information Technology). Samsung headquartered in South Korea, the world's largest information technology company.

6. Lafarge (Materials) Lafarge French headquartered company, world's second largest cement manufacturer.

7. News Corporation (Consumer discretionary). News Corporation headquartered in the USA, the world's second largest media conglomerate.

8. Philips Electronics (Industrials). Philips headquartered in the Netherlands, one of the largest electronics companies in the world operating in more than 60 countries.

9. National Australia Bank (Financials). National Australia Bank is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia, ranked 17th largest bank in the world operating in 10 countries.

10. Praxair (Materials). Praxair headquartered in the USA, largest industrial glass company in the Americas and one of the largest worldwide. Praxair operates in 30 countries.

Measuring Carbon Footprint

The number of organization across the world measuring their carbon footprint is growing each year. The reported information is consolidated by The Carbon Disclosure Project. (CDP)

In 2003 235 organizations reported their carbon footprint data, in 2010 this number had risen to 3050. These organizations are in some 60 countries around the world.

Clearly the business of measuring carbon footprints is being taken seriously.

The CDP does not confine itself to carbon data, they are generally interested in and reporting on climate change and sustainability issues such as water availability. Essentially the CDP was launched to accelerate solutions to climate change and water management.

The CDP receives funding from a wide range of organizations. These include foundations such as the Nathan Cummings Esmée Fairbairn Foundations as well as governments in various countries including UK, US, Sweden, France, Holland and Australia.

How Businesses are Choosing to Measure their Sustainability Performance

Schneider Electric measuring sustainability performance.

http://bit.ly/j7H7F8

The $16 billion company is bringing energy management solutions to the world. In 2005 Schneider introduced internal sustainability metrics. In 2008 they added public metrics. In 2009 the company considered its baseline performance to be 3/10 and stated its goal was to achieve 8/10 by 2011.

3Degrees is the First Company to Achieve Climate Registered Silver Status


http://bit.ly/qyTEz8

3Degrees is a renewable energy and carbon offsets sales, trading and advisory firm. 3Degrees is a charter member of the Climate Registered (TM) reduction program. The Registry assists with measuring carbon footprint.

Ford Expands Program for Measuring Suppliers Carbon Footprint

http://prn.to/qI3aPk

October 12th, 2011. Ford announced today it has more than tripled the size of its program to understand and measure supplier's carbon footprint. A Ford survey highlights 128 of their global suppliers accounting for 60% of Ford's purchases will be routinely surveyed.

Oxford Achieves 20% GHG Reduction Target Ahead of Schedule; Commits to Further 10% Energy Reduction Nationally

Oxford Achieves 20% GHG Reduction Target Ahead of Schedule; Commits to Further 10% Energy Reduction Nationally

Oxford Properties Group has made the bold step to be absolutely clear about their own vision of sustainability.

Blake Hutcheson, President and CEO, stated "We want to continue to grow our business without growing our environmental footprint". Mr. Hutcheson went on to say "this is a core principal and we want to do this in a way that is transparent and measurable".

Oxford's commitment was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in managed properties by 20% from the 2005 base year. In fact they achieved a 21.9% reduction two years ahead of the 2012 goal. Now Oxford are committing to a further 10% reduction from the 2010 base year over the next four years.

Oxford has earned the respect of its stakeholders for measuring it's carbon footprint, setting targets and driving performance improvements.

Clearly, a great starting point is measuring your businesses carbon footprint.

Wal-Mart Moves to Measure the Sustainability of Its Produce

Wal-Mart Moves to Measure the Sustainability of Its Produce

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report in June stating that roughly one-third of the food produced worldwide for human consumption is lost or wasted, amounting to some 1.3 billion tons per year.

Wal-Mart is working with the Sustainability Consortium to develop an overall sustainability index for fresh food produce. The Consortium, which is jointly administered by the University of Arkansas and the University of Arizona is helping develop produce category assessments for the index.