FedEx pledges to slash aircraft emissions

Logistics and delivery giant FedEx has announced plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its aircraft fleet by 20 per cent and improve the fuel efficiency of its vehicle fleet by 20 per cent.

The company said this week it was looking to accelerate efforts to cut its carbon footprint after reducing aircraft carbon dioxide emissions by 3.7 per cent per available ton mile over the past three years and improving vehicle fuel efficiency by 13.7 per cent.

Chief executive Frederick Smith hailed the new targets as evidence of the company's recognition "that one of the most responsible steps we and the industrial sector can take for our businesses, society and the environment is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels".

FedEx already operates the largest fleet of commercial hybrid electric trucks in North America with more than 170 vehicles. The company boasts these have a fuel efficiency of 42 per cent compared to its standard trucks.

It said it will now seek to expand this fleet further and also step up efforts to ensure delivery routes are optimised so that the smallest possible vehicle is used on any given route.

The company has also begun upgrading its 650-strong aircraft fleet by replacing narrow-body Boeing 727 aircraft with more efficient Boeing 757 planes – reducing fuel consumption by 36 per cent while providing 20 per cent more payload capacity.

It will also replace older MD-11 planes with Boeing 777 aircraft that provide greater payload capacity and use 18 per cent less fuel.

The company said that in addition to upgrading its fleets it is looking at a number of other efficiency measures, including working on jet fuel efficiency and powering gate-stationed planes from ground sources rather than having engines running. It claims the initiative could save some one million gallons of fuel per month.

The company also operates three solar-powered freight sorting facilities in California which take some 40 per cent of their energy from solar panels on the roof. It is also working on a similar 1.4MW solar power system in Germany that is scheduled to be completed in 2010.