UPS is now the first small package shipping company to offer U.S. customers the option of carbon neutral shipping. For a small fee you can reduce the carbon footprint of your next shipment within the USA.
The per-package price for the optional service is $0.05 for UPS Ground services and $0.20 for UPS Next Day Air, UPS 2nd Day Air and UPS 3-Day Select services. Based on customer feedback, a flat fee is used to make it simple and convenient for those wishing to participate. The price includes the cost of calculation, administrative costs associated with the service and the cost of the offsets.
Offsets will be purchased based on the carbon associated with participating customer shipments. To encourage customers to participate in this flat fee program, UPS will match the offset purchases, effectively doubling the offsets purchased in 2009-2010, up to $1 million. Find out more @ ups.com/carbonneutral
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It’s good to see UPS is doing it’s part as well. With so many people buying items online, making sure shipping is more carbon neutral is essential.
This is great! ElegantRoots.com is looking into using the service as I write this. Since our reason for being is to promote eco-consciousness and social justice by creating an online market for responsible gift items, this news is right up our alley. Thanks.
This really is great news, and I think we’ll soon begin see many carriers offer a carbon neutral option in the US- FedEx, UPS and USPS all already offer eco-friendly packaging.
DHL offers a carbon neutral option to its European and Asian markets currently.
Rob- if you’re looking for a good online shipping option that supports UPS as well as other national, international and regional carriers, take at look at http://www.iabol.com. This is my company’s multi-carrier Internet shipping software, and we support green initiatives (and will hopefully be adding the option to purchase carbon credits for all shipments soon).
This is good news. I hope that UPS and other shippers can quickly move to electric, biodiesel, or other vehicles, though, so that carbon offsets aren’t necessary.