Retailers Talk Sustainability at EPA Freight Sustainability Summit 

Today the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the American Trucking Association (ATA) in co-hosting the EPA’s 2011 Freight Sustainability Summit.

Held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC, the summit will highlight the role that the goods movement sector can play in enhancing our nation’s economy, increasing energy security, and reducing environmental impact. It will also pay homage to the successful, business-focused EPA SmartWay program.

Speaking at this year’s conference will be Adam Siegel, RILA vice president of sustainability and retail operations. Siegel will share with attendees today’s retail sustainability trends, what retailers see in store for the future of retail sustainability and what carriers can expect based on those trends.

“RILA and our members are proud to be a co-host of this year’s event,” said Adam Siegel, vice president of sustainability and retail operations. “The EPA has been a valuable partner with their SmartWay Program and we are delighted to be a part of the summit to share the retail perspective with attendees.”

The first day of the event will focus on how the nation’s leading trucking and logistics firms, retailers, manufacturers, ports and non-governmental organizations are integrating sustainability practices into their transportation and business operations. Day two will feature an EPA SmartWay Workshop that shows how this innovative public-private collaboration can help industry and the country save fuel and enhance the economy through new technologies, strategies, and tools and methods for carbon accounting and performance benchmarking.

The EPA SmartWay program, a voluntary program started in 2004 within EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality designed to identify products and services that reduce transportation-related emissions. Since that time, more than 2,900 U.S. corporations, including virtually all the nation’s largest truck carriers, all Class I rail companies and many top Fortune 500 companies rely on SmartWay’s supply chain, accounting tools and methods. The SmartWay program signifies a partnership among government, business and consumers to protect our environment, reduce dependence on foreign oil and improve our air quality for future generations.
RILA and its members are active partners in the EPA SmartWay Program to reduce air pollution at our nation’s ports. This public-private partnership has resulted in helping retailers to place fuel saving equipment and trucks on the road, while at the same time reducing their supply chains’ carbon footprint.

“We applaud the EPA for driving such an important and effective program, and look forward to continuing to promote the great work of SmartWay,” Siegel concluded.

The Summit will also feature senior industry leaders, transportation experts, policymakers and other key stakeholders including: EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy, EDF President Fred Krupp, Maritime Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation David Matsuda,former Governor of Kansas and current American Trucking Association President Bill Graves. Leaders in freight sustainability will share best practices, operational strategies, cutting edge technologies and other innovations that help integrate sustainability into transportation management and business practices.

RILA is the trade association of the world’s largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.