A number of global companies, including HP, Home Depot, IKEA, Mattel, Nike, and other shippers, have joined with ocean freight carriers to form a Clean Cargo Group, dedicated to sustainable product transportation by ocean. This group represents approximately 33% of containerized cargo carriers and 20% of the top 50 U.S. importers of containerized cargo by volume. Working in collaboration with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a non-profit group, they developed voluntary specifications and guidelines to elevate the environmental performance of their fleets or carriers. In November 2003, they released the Environmental Performance Survey (EPS), a supply chain management tool that facilitates information exchange, including:

• Standardized environmental reporting guidelines for carriers
• Emissions calculation methods to measure a shipper's
  greenhouse gas releases from product transported by ocean.

The EPS enables shippers to evaluate the environmental commitment and actions of their carriers, as well as complete emissions footprints for the transportation impacts of their product. For carriers, it provides a standardized format for reporting on their environmental performance, thereby reducing the amount of time spent completing customer surveys. Participants anticipate the following business benefits:

• Increased Trust: By working to address environmental challenges, shippers and carriers build mutual trust and are more likely to gain the support of outside stakeholder groups.
• Enhanced Brand: In a crowded marketplace, leadership companies attract both consumers and investors, many of whom are placing increasing emphasis on environmental performance.
• Competitive Advantage: By proactively managing the environmental impacts of product transportation and minimizing emissions, companies gain first-mover advantages while setting up systems to mitigate the financial impact of future regulations.