Nike Receives FMC Chairman’s Earth Day Award

Contact: Karen V. Gregory, Secretary (202-523-5725)

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Richard A. Lidinsky, Jr. today announced that Nike, Inc. has received the Chairman’s Earth Day Award for outstanding shipper leadership and innovation in sustainable ocean transport practices. This is the third annual award given by the FMC Chairman for the ocean shipping industry’s top leaders on environmental issues. Last year’s recipient was Maersk Line for environmental leadership in vessel operation, vessel design, and efforts to increase carbon emissions transparency. The inaugural recipient was the Port of Los Angeles for the air quality improvements from its Clean Truck program.

“Nike has been a leader among U.S. shippers in setting emissions reduction goals for the logistics portion of its supply chain, measuring its own progress toward those goals, and taking an active role in programs, such as EPA’s SmartWay and Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Working Group, to improve shippers’ ability to measure and factor supply chain emissions into their decisions,” said Chairman Lidinsky.

The FMC Chairman’s Earth Day Award recognizes members of the ocean transportation community for their innovation, leadership, and success in developing and implementing sustainable shipping practices. With the assistance of the Commission’s Maritime Environmental Committee, the Chairman selected the recipient based on the following criteria:

1. innovation in design of sustainability-enhancing incentives, measurement, and accountability;
2. effectiveness in increasing sustainability, efficiency, and reducing environmental impacts; and
3. anticipated creation of green jobs through efficient ocean commerce that grows in a sustainable manner.

Chairman Lidinsky noted that Nike has set a target of a 30-percent reduction from its 2003 inbound logistics carbon emissions baseline by fiscal year 2020. Nike has been measuring its logistics carbon emissions with a carbon calculator tool it co-developed with the University of Delaware. He also cited Nike’s efforts to shift from air freight to lower-emission ocean freight transportation, which helped reduce its emissions per product moved by four percent from 2003 to 2009. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, air freight produces 47 times more carbon emissions per ton-mile than ocean shipping.

Finally, Chairman Lidinsky recognized Nike’s work as a charter partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program to reduce freight transportation emissions, as well as the leading role it has taken as an ocean shipper in collaborations such as the Business for Social Responsibility’s Clean Cargo Working Group.

The Federal Maritime Commission is the federal agency responsible for regulating the nation’s international ocean transportation for the benefit of exporters, importers, and the American consumer. The Commission’s Maritime Environmental Committee advises the Chairman and the Commission on sustainable shipping practices, environment-related agreements and operational initiatives, and encourages the creation of green jobs in the maritime industry.