UPS has begun offering its customers an assessment of their shipment packaging based on environmental standards. Under the Eco Responsible Packaging Program, UPS will evaluate a customer’s packaging processes in three areas of sustainability: damage prevention, right-sizing and packaging materials. UPS will score the results and those customers who meet the requirements can display the program’s logo on their shipment packaging.
UPS’s assessment methodology and processes are verified by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an inspection, verification, testing and certification company. The service also has been cited by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the latter a global business network and consultancy focused on sustainability.
“Our engineers have always directed our customers to use the right kind of packaging to protect their goods,” says Bob Stoffel, senior vice president, engineering, strategy, supply chain and sustainability. “This service gives our customers a new way to demonstrate that they are serious about sustainability when it comes to shipment packaging.”
The evaluation will assess the customer’s transport packaging systems and procedures, rather than product packaging found on retail shelves. The contractual-based service is available to customers who commit to sustainable packaging solutions. Pricing is determined on a project basis. The program is conducted by the UPS Package Engineering Group.
“Embedding environmental evaluation in day-to-day packaging decisions is a critical step to improving the stewardship and conservation of valuable resources for the future,” says Anne Johnson, director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
