Tennessee business Recognized for Improving Fuel Economy, Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Kimberly-Clark, based in Knoxville, Tenn., was among 34 businesses honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a ceremony this week during the annual conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals in Philadelphia. The 2007 SmartWay Excellence award winners were recognized for environmental leadership in reducing fuel consumption and lowering greenhouse-gas emissions from big trucks.

Kimberly-Clark is part of EPA’s SmartWay® Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight industry to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.

Kimberly-Clark has actively recruited SmartWay carriers and has more than doubled their use of SmartWay carriers since joining the program. It has also instituted an idle reduction program at its distribution centers, as well as promoting idle reduction throughout its operations. Kimberly-Clark has also implemented an aggressive educational plan for its employees about the SmartWay program. Kimberly-Clark is actively engaged in improving its carriers’ operations, and supports outreach and educational efforts that focus on SmartWay and it energy and environmental goals.

EPA launched SmartWay in 2004 to address the environmental and economic challenges surrounding growth in the freight industry. Through the program, EPA is now working with more than 600 businesses to improve both their bottom line and the environment by offering technical assistance, tools for evaluating opportunities to lower fuel use and emissions, and help in locating financing for the purchase of fuel-saving equipment and technology.

Because of three-year commitments to upgrade their trucks with auxiliary power units, energy efficient tires, enhanced trailer aerodynamics, and other improvements, SmartWay partners are saving 600 million gallons of diesel fuel -- a cost benefit of almost $2 billion -- and eliminating nearly seven million metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.