OAKLAND, CA - With the soaring cost of fuel and transportation’s dramatic impact on the environment, companies have no choice but to look at logistics as a place to go green, according to www.greenbiz.com. 

Major U.S. companies, including retail giant Wal-Mart and SC Johnson are leading the trend to implement dramatic energy savings through their green logistics programs. In 2006 alone, Wal-Mart prevented 678,954 tons of carbon dioxide, 38 tons of nitrogen oxide and 1,539 tons of particulate matter from entering the atmosphere through a combination of efforts, such as the installation of Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) in diesel trucks to warm or cool the cabin on breaks.

Similarly, SC Johnson eliminated 1,882 tons of greenhouse gases, cut fuel usage by 168,000 gallons, and saved approximately $1.6 million in 2007 through its Truckload Utilization Project, which combines multiple customer orders and products in individual trucks for maximum efficiency.

Xerox’s is another company that is dramatically cutting fuel consumptions on its 55,000 vehicles. After surpassing its initial goal of cutting fuel consumption by 10 percent by 2005, Xerox now expects to achieve a 25 percent reduction by 2012. The company has succeeded by finding the right vehicle for each driver, buying fuel efficient vehicles, tracking mileage, and using GPS systems to send technicians to the closest client.

Xerox also bought 100 Toyota Priuses for technicians who do a lot of city driving, where the fuel economy is maximized to 45 miles per gallon. It’s also investing in E-85 compliant vehicles that can use the alternative fuel with a limited infrastructure.

Other companies making giant strides in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are Staples and Bison Transportation.