For the second straight year, Ruan was honored with a SmartWay® Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for being a true industry leader in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency. Ruan is a longstanding partner of SmartWay, a collaboration between the EPA and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.
"This year’s SmartWay Excellence Award recipients show that reducing carbon pollution is good for business and good for the environment,” said Gina McCarthy, administrator of the EPA. “They’re showing how SmartWay business leaders can outcompete the rest of the world while reducing costs and improving the fuel and freight efficiency of their transportation operations.”
Ruan utilizes a variety of environmentally friendly strategies, including idle reduction and auxiliary power unit (APU) usage, low viscosity lubricants, reduced highway speeds, lightweight equipment, paperless technologies and processes and successful driver training designed with an emphasis on maintenance and fuel consumption. The company continually investigates new, sustainable fuel options like biodiesel and compressed natural gas (CNG). In fact, Ruan currently operates one of the largest heavy-duty CNG fleets in the country hauling dairy products in Indiana. The use of CNG at this operation will eliminate as many as 1.8 million gallons of diesel fuel each year.
“Ruan has a long tradition of seeking and implementing strategic fuel conservation measures, which not only controls costs, but helps protect the environment,” said Ruan President and CEO Steve Chapman. “The SmartWay Excellence Award—our second—affirms our commitment to safe, efficient business practices that benefit our customers, team members and the global community.”
Ruan was one of 55 companies to receive this distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay’s 3,000-plus partners. The Excellence awardees were honored at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) annual conference held in Denver, CO, on October 22.
"EPA is pleased to recognize the 2013 SmartWay Excellence Award recipients. I commend Ruan for its superior environmental performance and leadership in advancing freight sector efficiency," McCarthy said. “Their commitment is helping lead the freight industry to a more sustainable future."