ATLANTA – UPS published its latest annual Sustainability Report, becoming one of only 10 U.S. corporations registered to date this year with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to have achieved A+ status for superior transparency, according to the company.

The new report summarizing UPS's 2011 sustainability efforts received the A+ designation after meeting GRI's reporting standards and then receiving assurance review by Deloitte & Touche LLP.

The report discloses UPS exceeded four of the seven key sustainability goals it established for 2011. The company met its goals for employee safety, auto accident frequency, aircraft emissions and full-time employee retention. The report discloses progress on goals involving efficiency of jet fuel use, employee satisfaction and charitable contributions.

Chief Sustainability Officer Scott Wicker also cited these achievements:
• Using advanced route-planning technology, UPS avoided driving 85 million miles, saving 8.4 million gallons of fuel and 83,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions.
• The expanding deployment of telematics technology eliminated more than 98 million minutes of engine idling time, saving 653,000 gallons of fuel.
• UPS achieved a net reduction in U.S. domestic energy use at its facilities.
• UPS earned the highest Carbon Disclosure Project score among all U.S. companies and tied with three others for the top score in the world.
• In 2011, overall emissions declined 3.5% even though package volume grew by 1.8%.
• Employees made 100,000 pledges to act more environmentally responsible

For the first time, UPS also introduced a "materiality matrix" that maps how the company's interests match or differ from those of other stakeholders. The matrix will be used to guide the company as it sets future sustainability priorities, Wicker added.

"Our annual sustainability report encapsulates the performance, ambitions and goals of UPS from economic, social and environmental perspectives," explained Wicker.

You can download the report here.