Approved Freight Forwarders
Helpful Articles - Sustainability

Approved Freight Forwarders Joins EPA SmartWay® Transportation Partnership: A Commitment to Sustainability October 23, 2023 Approved Freight Forwarders has announced its membership in the SmartWay® Transportation Partnership, a program initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thanks to its extensive usage of SmartWay-certified carriers, the company has achieved certification as a SmartWay Logistics Company. This impressive accomplishment shows that Approved Freight Forwarders is committed to being eco-friendly, teaming up with similar partners and organizations to make the future more sustainable. The Significance of SmartWay® Transportation Partnership The SmartWay® Transportation Partnership, a program under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is a comprehensive initiative to enhance...

Transportation companies, logistics providers, conscious consumers, and green-leaning businesses are all looking for ways to make shipping more sustainable. Whether you’re talking about moving goods, materials, or supplies as freight or getting small parcels in the hands of consumers, green logistics is a hot topic right now.   In some ways, supply chain optimization is built for sustainability. Creating efficiencies can also lead to things like emissions savings. However, in some cases, the sustainable solution isn’t always the cheapest one. To offer just one example, some companies are feeling the pinch when it comes to using more expensive biofuels to power the planes and boats...

The transportation industry plays a vital role in everyday life, moving everything where it needs to go—people, supplies, raw materials, equipment, finished goods, etc. Given how reliant we are on the industry, it’s no surprise that it’s exerted a significant impact on the environment. Between 1990 and 2020, greenhouse gases attributed to the transportation sector increased more in absolute terms than any other sector, according to EPA data. Many in the transportation industry—and specifically logistics—have turned their eyes toward greener, more sustainable solutions. Perhaps that’s not so surprising for an industry that’s always been focused on efficiency. After all, more efficient solutions are also often...

Awareness is building around the environmental impact of transportation and logistics. When you see statistics like the below, it’s easy to understand why green freight and sustainable logistics have become such hot topics of late: 0%The transportation sector has consistently been the U.S.’s largest contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The industry was responsible for 27% of emissions in 2020, according to EPA data. 0%Within that sector, light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles comprised a whopping 83% of GHG emissions, revealing a potential target for lightening the transportation industry’s footprint. 0%If nothing changes, data from Accenture anticipates a 32% rise in carbon emissions, solely from urban...

The transportation sector is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gases, making up 27% of total GHG emissions in the U.S., according to the EPA. As the industry looks toward greener solutions, two directions have emerged.   Many are looking to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to reduce fleet emissions. However, there’s another strong entry in the zero-emissions category: fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), powered by hydrogen.   We previously took a look at the rise of electric semis. In this article, we’ll take a look at hydrogen-powered medium- and heavy-duty trucks—as well as their advantages and drawbacks—as this technology continues to develop.   Advances in...

As a California-based freight forwarder, Approved keeps close tabs on the state’s environmental initiatives. Three new regulations have emerged that will directly impact truck and engine manufacturers as well as fleet owners, with wide-ranging implications for the transportation industry as a whole.   To keep you in the loop, we’ve summarized these initiatives below. We’ll share what they’re about and how they might affect the way you do business. We’ll also discuss the environmental impact of these regulations, which have the potential to significantly improve air quality in California. Finally, even if you’re not operating in California, some of these initiatives have already been adopted...