Volcom signs on for the UPS carbon neutral program

Industry Updates

UPS will quantify the carbon impacts of each shipment Volcom makes

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 4 May, 2012 : - - Further enhancing our New Future initiatives, Volcom said the company is now participating in the UPS carbon neutral program. Participating in this voluntary program enables Volcom, with the help of UPS, to track company-wide shipping-related carbon impacts and mitigate them through 3rd party verified carbon offset programs that address projects such as reforestation, renewable energy installments and the like.

“Participating in the UPS carbon neutral program is an exciting opportunity for us,” said Volcom’s President and Chief Operations Officer, Jason Steris. “We are proud to be able to make this service available to our consumers and retail partners, at no additional cost to them, and we anticipate that this will measurably aid us in our goal of offsetting our carbon footprint.”

How the Program will Work

UPS will quantify the carbon impacts of each shipment Volcom makes within the program. Consequentially, a destination-based fee ranging from $0.05 to $0.75 will be applied to each shipped package and then earmarked for the purchase of carbon credits, essentially mitigating the shipment’s carbon footprint. Volcom will cover the fee for all packages shipped to wholesale partners around the United States as well as to consumers shopping online at the brand’s e‑commerce store (shop.volcom.com). Volcom will also ship all packages to its domestic and international corporate offices, as well as to and from all U.S. Volcom retail stores, via the carbon neutral program.

UPS carbon neutral shipping is available to consumers on shop.volcom.com immediately, just in time to celebrate World Environnment Day. The program will roll out to Volcom’s corporate internal and retail shipments by mid-2012.

The UPS carbon neutral program adds to the many other consumer-facing efforts already in motion at Volcom. Last year, the company partnered with I:CO to launch a take-back program in its retail stores. These same stores currently are in the middle of a B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bag) campaign to encourage shoppers to ditch the disposable bag concept. These initiatives are in addition to the V.Co-logical Series and Give Back Series items that can be purchased in stores to support select environmental and social causes. According to Derek Sabori, Volcom’s Director of Sustainability, “While there’s still much more work to do, each move takes us one step closer to our goal of being a real contributor to a cleaner future.”

UPS launched the carbon neutral program in the U.S. in 2009, and has made strong advancements expanding the program internationally, making it accessible to the majority of its consumer base and corporate clients. As a part of the initial launch, UPS purchased high quality certified carbon offsets to fund a variety of projects such as the Garcia River Forest Project, overseen by The Conservation Fund and continues to extend its offset purchases to other regions worldwide. UPS also pledged to match the offset purchases acquired on behalf of customers for up to $1 million.

The calculation to measure the carbon (CO2) impact of the customers’ shipments is based on current and historical operational data, including distance and transport mode and a comprehensive carbon inventory and the calculator used is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most widely used international standard for carbon accounting and reporting. UPS’s proprietary calculation methodology and processes are verified by Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS). Additionally, the carbon offset process is certified by The CarbonNeutral Company.

UPS carbon neutral complements the company’s sustainable business practices worldwide. These include operational efficiency, conservation initiatives and industry-leading innovations. UPS recently was named by Climate Counts as the leader in the consumer shipping category for the second consecutive year.  UPS also was selected to the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Global Leadership Index.

To learn more about UPS’s total environmental program, go to www.ups.com/responsibility.
To learn more about UPS’s carbon neutral product, please go to www.ups.com/carbonneutral.
To learn more about Volcom’s Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility programs visit www.volcom.com/newfuture.

www.volcom.com

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Industry: Surfersvillage