ISSA is pleased to announce it now joins an elite group of SmartWay affiliates recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a 2017 SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Honoree. EPA recognized ISSA as part of its Earth Day celebrations last month.
The SmartWay Affiliate Challenge is a national program developed by EPA to acknowledge organizations that do an exceptional job of supporting policies and advancing practices that reduce harmful pollution from freight activities. These affiliates serve as role models for other SmartWay affiliates and partners.
ISSA is one of nine organizations nationwide to receive this honor, and the only cleaning industry association to do so. This win was spurred on through ISSA’s collaboration with Sustainability Dashboard Tools, LLC, and the new Distributor Efficiency Analytics & Learning (DEAL) program that resulted from it. DEAL helps distributors reduce operating costs and be more profitable with its comprehensive, three-part approach—Learning, Analytics, and Awards. SmartWay tools and strategies are critical elements of the DEAL program to help specifically with fleet operations.
“We’re honored by this recognition,” said ISSA Executive Director John Barrett,. “The mission of ISSA aligns directly with that of the SmartWay program. We’re committed to increasing the appreciation for cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. This program helps those in our industry reduce their carbon footprint, and also enables our members to save money and be more efficient with their shipping operations.”
As a SmartWay Affiliate Challenge Honoree, ISSA and Sustainability Dashboard Tools, LLC, completed key activities in a variety of areas, including:
- Recommended SmartWay tools and strategies to members (small- to medium-sized cleaning product distributors) to save money by improving fleet operating efficiency and reducing the associated costs.
- Incorporated SmartWay strategies as a core component for an educational best practice series targeted to improving fleet efficiency.
- Worked with members and effective third-party avenues to better understand the process for collecting necessary data for the SmartWay Truck Carrier Emissions Tracking Tool.
- Regularly highlighted SmartWay strategies through press releases, news articles, and social media.
“EPA commends the SmartWay Affiliate Challenge honorees for their extraordinary level of commitment and enthusiasm in supporting more efficient and sustainable business practices in moving goods,” said Christopher Grundler, director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. “These organizations represent diverse industry sectors and stakeholders who are showing that American prosperity and protecting the environment can go hand in hand.”
The challenge was open to all SmartWay Affiliates that submitted an application and supporting materials describing various activities they accomplished during the period of March 1, 2016, to March 1, 2017. Honored Affiliates represent 4 percent of the total affiliate membership.
ISSA and the other honorees will be recognized during a public ceremony on May 15, 2017, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, MD.
