TransGroup Worldwide Logistics, a Seattle-based freight forwarder/3PL, has introduced TransNeutral-what it says is the industry's first completely "greenhouse gas neutral" logistics solution.
Commercial shipping is the third-largest source of climate-effecting toxic substances in the world, TransGroup says, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are expected to increase over the coming decades as international trade expands.
"As a leader in transport logistics, we at TransGroup feel a responsibility to our industry and to the planet," says Ron Lee, TransGroup president and co-founder. "So we formed TransNeutral to help customers offset the climate-effecting impact of their shipments in a way that works collectively to preserve the environment."
TransNeutral is a not-for-profit, opt-in program that enables customers to "green" their shipments with a nominal contribution (less that 1/7 of a cent per pound on domestic shipments) for every pound they ship. TransNeutral uses a weight-based calculation to determine the amount of climate-effecting GHG that a shipment emits. It then offsets those gases by contributing to GHG emission reduction programs involving reforestation, wind power and biofuel-related farm renewal projects.
Projects TransNeutral contributes to are listed on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX). Through stringent oversight and auditing, these projects accumulate exchangeable carbon credits based on the amount of GHGs they reduce or prevent. These credits are then sold on the CCX in the form of Carbon Financial Instruments (CFIs), each equivalent to 100 metric tons of CO2 that was removed, or prevented from entering into the atmosphere.
TransNeutral, through its partnership with DriveNeutral.org, an affiliate of the San Francisco-based Presidio School of Management,"greens" a customer's shipments by purchasing CFIs to offset the GHGs that the shipments produce. TransNeutral customers can monitor their offsets by receiving a quarterly TransNeutral Greening Report detailing their results.
