SmartWay Profiles in Leadership
Profiles in Leadership is SmartWay’s newest recognition initiative. Beginning in 2024, EPA will be recognizing freight sustainability leadership actions for:
- SmartWay Affiliates
- Eligible SmartWay Partners
- Logistics companies
- Air carriers
- Barge carriers
- Rail carriers
This fact sheet outlines the selection criteria and process: 2024 SmartWay Profiles in Leadership (pdf) (461 KB, January 2024, EPA-420-F-24-007)
Profiles in Leadership Application Form
All the above Partner categories, with two years of on-time SmartWay Tool submissions and quality data, as well as Affiliates are invited to complete and submit a SmartWay Profiles in Leadership form to EPA for consideration. To be considered for 2024, EPA must receive a completed application by July 29.
The following “Areas of Emphasis” for which EPA will recognize Affiliates and Partners are described below. Applications may be submitted for multiple Areas of Emphasis from a single Affiliate or Partner company.
Profiles in Leadership Areas of Emphasis
Corporate Social Responsibility/Environment & Social Governance CSR/ESG is a management concept that focuses on the integration of social and environmental concerns in a company’s business operations (e.g., ESG, greenhouse gases (GHG) accounting/reporting, GHG target setting and goals, freight sustainability-related or community-related to minimize environmental footprint).
Forecasting Innovation Trends in Freight Transportation: Identifying or foretelling of changes/developments in the freight sector that have the potential to result in behavior shifts or advances of new technologies. The expectation is that the potential to impact freight sustainability is significant.
Freight Research: Studies, testing, or pilots conducted to better understand fuel efficient technologies or supply chain freight efficiency practices to reduce emissions.
Influential Collaboration: Those intentional cooperative endeavors that advance freight sustainability, including modeling and championing accountability, inspiring market and industry transformation.
Information System and Data Innovation: Recent innovations in the acquisition, integration/fusion, analysis, modeling, or visualization of freight data; data tools that are adaptable and user-friendly freight systems that leverage innovative private and public data sources while preserving their proprietary nature (e.g., use of real-time transportation visibility data, digital dashboards, artificial intelligence, application program interfaces, integration of freight-efficiency modules into business systems).
Strategy/Operations Innovation: Novel and optimal ways to move and deliver goods more efficiently in the supply chain network (e.g., integration of new fuel-efficiency equipment or supply chain freight efficiency practices to reduce empty miles).
Sustainability Education and Socialization: All internal and external actions to educate employees, customers, suppliers, colleagues, members, and investors about your freight sustainability efforts, how SmartWay helps with doing that work and incorporating sustainability values as part of a normal way of doing business.
Technology Innovation: New equipment or associated supporting infrastructure to move and deliver goods more efficiently in the freight supply chain network. (e.g., electric or alternatively powered vehicles, autonomous vehicles, etc.)
Other: In the event an Affiliate or eligible Partner company wishes to be recognized for leadership actions that may not be a good fit in the Areas of Emphasis categories above, an application may be submitted under the “Other” option.