Georgia-Pacific and Schneider National: Tow the Load - The SmartWaySM

Every hour of every day, all around the United States, orange Schneider tractor trailers are towing loads of bath tissue, napkins and paper towels from Georgia-Pacific warehouses to millions of eager customers. And today’s environmentally conscious customer would be more eager to know that each load is towed the smart way - clean and full.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this week named Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products and Schneider National as 2009 winners of the SmartWaySM Environmental Excellence Award, recognizing the companies for their commitment to outstanding environmental performance.

“Schneider National has been committed to operating the most energy-efficient fleet in the industry for more than 30 years,” said Steve Matheys, executive vice president, chief administration officer at Schneider National. “We applaud Georgia-Pacific for getting involved in this important program and doing their part to deliver a cleaner tomorrow and protect our valuable natural resources.”

“At Georgia-Pacific, we have always focused on excellence in the way we use resources and minimizing the impact on communities,” said Paul Snider, vice president - transportation for Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products. “We believe that we can do this, while still providing great products and great service to our customers. Partnering with Schneider National has been a key factor in our ability to continue finding new levels of efficiency and better environmental performance.”

Both companies are a part of the agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing air pollution. Schneider National, a leading provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services, is a four-time winner of the SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award, and has been a member of the partnership since 2004. Georgia-Pacific is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue and paper towel brands, is a first-time winner, in its first full year as a member of the SmartWay Transport Partnership.

Here are some of the highlights in energy efficiency, fuel savings and environmental impact that both companies have achieved as members of the SmartWay Transport Partnership program:

Georgia-Pacific(GP); Schneider National(SN)

* (SN) Saving over 79 million gallons of diesel fuel in 2008 by transforming its intermodal operations, through purchasing 9,000 stackable containers and phasing out its trailer on flatcar service
* (GP) Initiating an idle reduction policy at its 12 distribution centers, asking drivers to turn off their engines while waiting to be unloaded/loaded. (According to SmartWay, idling truck engines use about one gallon of fuel per hour.)
* (GP) Reduced the number of trucks on the highways by using special software to maximize the packing of product loads and gaining more useable space in trailers
* (SN) Rewarding drivers with $11 million in incentives for fuel management efforts - reduction of out of route and empty miles through improved trip planning
* (GP) Reducing, by four million miles, the total miles traveled from manufacturing point to customer delivery in 2008.
* (GP) Reducing deadhead (trucks returning empty) by 10 percent by better management of the transportation system and cooperation of contract carriers.
* (SN) Reduced fuel consumption by 46.8 million gallons and lowered Schneider’s emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide by 10,000 tons and 3,332 tons, respectively, by using low-rolling resistance tires, synthetic and low-friction lubricants, aerodynamic tractor design and idle-reduction equipment for fleet
* (GP) Increased intermodal shipping by 39 percent in 2008 vs. 2007, reducing fuel consumption by 2.6 million gallons