Sustainability
Sustainability
As a forerunner in the specialized market for vessel replacement parts, we are motivated to run a sustainable and environmentally friendly shipping service.
In light of the current global climate crisis, we believe that it is essential to take responsibility for the impact our products and services have on the environment. Therefore, we are committed to reduce our carbon emissions. As a forerunner in the highly specialized market for vessel replacement parts, we are motivated to run a sustainable and environmentally friendly shipping service and to provide maximum transparency of our logistic processes. In the following, we will outline a few of the strategic decisions we have made in order to effectively reduce our carbon footprint.
The packaging industry accounts for enormous amount of waste production. The EU estimates that each European citizen produces approximately 31kg of packaging waste each year, individual country rates are far more tangible: in Germany alone, each person is estimated to produce over 150kg of packaging waste per year, with figures on the increase. Moreover, the European packaging industry is highly unregulated therefore member countries of the EU are relatively free to operate by their own laws for waste control and disposal.
As a distributor, we are deeply conscious of our packaging waste footprint, wherefore we are committed to reduce the environmental impact of our services. We use eco-friendly packaging materials and strive to run a sustainable packaging process by recycling a large part of the waste we produce. Our goal is to pursue a packaging system with as little waste as possible.
We use paper packaging materials such as delivery bags, paper tape and filling material for our deliveries. Here‘s why:
By comparison, plastic alternatives are far less sustainable. Here‘s why we decided against them:
We use novel, eco-friendly pallets whose compact, lightweight format helps us reduce carbon emissions in our logistic activities. We save up to 75% of packing weight compared to a regular euro-pallet. As a result, we avoid carbon emissions with every single delivery to our customers. In addition, we also avert carbon emissions during the transport to our facility, due to the immense stackability, shown on the above picture.
We strictly advise all our suppliers to avoid using plastic packaging materials. Nevertheless, we receive parts from suppliers from all over the world, leaving us with a lot of waste, much of which is not fully biodegradable. Consequently, we have installed sustainable packaging procedures in our mission to pursue a minimal waste system.
We are using UPS‘ Carbon Neutral Shipping, which means we compensate our caused carbon emissions during the transport process. Simultaneously, we support urgent projects for sustainable development with a strong ecological focus around the world. Here‘s how it works:
When we receive or deliver a package, UPS monitors the carbon emissions generated in the logistic process. It then matches the revenue generated from this delivery to finance a number of environmental projects for sustainable development. The aim is to counterbalance the level of carbon emissions generated by each delivery within the Carbon Neutral Program.
For instance, the Community Reforestation Project in Uganda initiates large scale reforestation activities and pays out a fair salary to local farmers who participate. With over one third of Uganda‘s forests degraded by invasive agricultural activities, the Reforestation Project comes at an urgent time for the country. It also provides an essential financial backbone to farming communities whose livelihood largely depends on the endangered forestland.
Another successful project backed by UPS is the SELCO Solar Energy Access Project in India. A joint initiative between SELCO and Natural Partners, this program aims to improve access to clean solar energy in rural areas of India as a means to support economic growth in over 20,000 low-income households each year. Under the sister project ''Light for Education'', SELCO equips schools with modern educational technology and distributes solar lamps to students to facilitate home study hours in the absence of daylight.
The two projects outlined here are just some examples from a wide range of initiatives supported by UPS. For more information, visit:naturalcapitalpartners.com/projects
- Project certified by SGS -
We constantly improve the sustainability of our processes and decrease our carbon footprint. Not just for us at EMS, but for all of us, it is a ongoing challenge to reduce CO2 emission and overcome the climate crises.
For further information regarding EMS' sustainability mission,