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 PRESS RELEASE |
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Empty Miles service featured in Walmart Canada’s ‘Share Green’ best practices
March 11, 2010 Toronto, ON –The Empty Miles service has been recognized among Canada’s top sustainable corporate business practices. A case study on Empty Miles, an initiative spearheaded by GS1 North America in collaboration with the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS), is one of close to 70 case studies selected and featured on Sharegreen.ca, Walmart Canada’s virtual centre of excellence for sustainable business practices. Empty Miles is an industry-led backhaul solution that enables shipping companies to match empty trucks with other companies’, improving productivity and reducing the supply chain’s environmental impact. "We commend Walmart Canada for advancing sustainable business practices through this website. This is a critically important and worthwhile global goal," stated N. Arthur Smith, President and CEO, GS1 Canada. "Gathering the top, corporate green initiatives in Canada, like the industry-driven Empty Miles service, and communicating them to a global audience will advance collaborative opportunities and realize impactful and meaningful sustainability goals over both the short and long-term," he said. Empty Miles enables participants to increase the sustainability and productivity of their supply chains by significantly reducing the number of trucks and trailers travelling empty on the return leg of their journeys, after unloading cargo. A web-based service, it matches carrier availability (empty miles) with transportation demand (loads) and is delivered through a members-only internet portal. GS1 Canada submitted the Empty Miles service case study to Walmart Canada’s Green Business Summit in Vancouver in January 2010. It was among several case studies selected that reflect actions being taken by leading Canadian companies, educational institutions and NGOs to drive more sustainable business practices, with themes ranging from energy management, to waste reduction, to water conservation. The VICS Empty Miles service launched in Canada in February, 2010. The service has proven highly successful in the United States, where it launched in 2009; reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving business efficiency. In one case study, truckload logistics provider, Schneider National, reduced emissions by over 200 tons, while increasing backhaul revenue by 25% on specific accounts. Further, leading American retailer Macy’s experienced an increase of 30 backhaul loads per week, or a projected 1,500 loads per year, and reduced annualized transportation costs, on average, by $25,000. -30- About GS1 Canada For more information please contact: Lianne Castelino # # #
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