World Trade - December 2008 - (Page 13)

TRADEWINDS THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF TRADE Strong Growth in Green Logistics TRANSPORT FIRMS TAKING REAL STEPS Third-party logistics provider Ryder System, Inc. announced in November that it would participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP6), voluntarily answering the project’s comprehensive questionnaire that details the company’s risks and opportunities associated with issues related to climate change. The Carbon Disclosure Project, founded in 2000, represents some 385 global institutional investors, with more than $57 trillion in assets under management. As an independent not-for-profit organization, the Carbon Disclosure Project collects key climate change data from more than 1550 major corporations around the globe and has assembled the largest corporate greenhouse gas emissions database on the planet. The Carbon Disclosure Project also works with multinational organizations to facilitate the collection of environmentally relevant data from their supply chains. Ryder is already a member of the EPA SmartWay Transportation Partnership as a Carrier partner for Ryderowned vehicles and a Logistics partner for its supply chain operations, having earned the highest EPA Performance Score of 1.25 representing outstanding environmental performance. Ryder’s RydeGreen line of EPA SmartWay designated tractors and trailers enables customers of all sizes to improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and meet tougher EPA emissions standards. Meanwhile, UPS is preparing test a small ﬂeet of hydraulic hybrid delivery trucks in the U.S. starting early next year. The new trucks can achieve 50 to 70 percent better fuel economy, a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and pay for their extra expense in less than 3 years. UPS will put two hydraulic hybrids into service in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and an additional five hydraulic hybrid trucks will be deployed later in 2009 and early 2010. Despite the rela- tively small fleet, it represents the largest-scale commercial test of hydraulic hybrids ever conducted. The UPS hybrid hydraulic truck looks like a standard 24,000-pound vehicle, but it has an EPA-patented diesel series hydraulic hybrid drive attached to the rear axle. UPS has been developing its “green fleet” over the past few years and now boasts more than 1,600 low carbon emissions vehicles including electric, hybrid-electric, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and propane trucks. New Pact for African Nations TWENTY-SIX COUNTRIES SIGN ON Twenty-six African countries have signed an agreement that aims to create Africa’s largest free trade area within the next six months. The plan calls for the merger of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) into one regional economic market. Economists say the merger would create a free trade area comprising over 527 million people and a combined GDP of $624 billion. Transportation Services Index (TSI) October 109.5 November 110.2 December 108.8 January February 111.5 111.5 March 109.4 April 109.4 May 111.4 June 111.5 July 112.9 August 110.8 September 108.0 OCTOBER 2007 – SEPTEMBER 2008 The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) fell 2.5 percent in September to a level of 108.0 (2000=100), declining for the second consecutive month, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) ofﬁce. TSI is a single seasonally adjusted index of the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline, and local transit. China, Singapore Sign FTA DEAL TWO YEARS IN THE WORKS Trade ofﬁcials from China and Singapore have inked a free trade agreement (FTA), following two years of negotiations. WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 13 http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Trade - December 2008

World Trade - December 2008 Contents The Promise of Peril The Current Reality with IP in China Supply Chain Watch Tradewinds Performance Partners: Awards of Excellence Managing With Mobility What 2009 Bodes for the Supply Chain Small Business Takes to Export Green is Here for Good Fast Fashion

World Trade - December 2008

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