PotsandPans.com® Joins UPS® in Campaign to Neutralize Shipping's Toll on the Environment

VALLEJO, Calif., Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PotsandPans.com®, the successful e-commerce site of Meyer Corporation, U.S. -- the largest cookware company in the U.S. -- announces its unique participation in an ambitious carbon neutral campaign initiated by UPS®, the global package delivery and logistics company.  Beginning on August 18th, the on-line cookware store and culinary resource center will help to mitigate the climate impact of air and ground shipping by automatically paying UPS a fee for each customer order resulting in a shipment within the United States.  UPS then purchases certified carbon offsets on PotsandPan's behalf.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110915/NY55829LOGO )

"We're very proud to join UPS in its innovative campaign to offset carbon emissions resulting from shipments," says Suzanne Murphy, Vice President of Marketing at Meyer Corporation, U.S.  "We're especially delighted to have established a carbon neutral fee system that allows us to contribute on behalf of all of our PotsandPans.com customers, and hope that our action sparks other companies with e-commerce sites to follow our example."

The goal of UPS's carbon neutral program is to offset carbon emissions from shipping by purchasing certified carbon offsets to support environmental projects around the world.  The offset amount is based on the package characteristics, transportation mode and distance of the shipments calculated by UPS.  

Designated eco-friendly projects include: Garcia River Forest in the U.S.; La Pradera Landfill Gas in Columbia; Fujian Landfill Gas in China, and Chonburi Wastewater Gas in Thailand.  In general, targeted projects focus on reforestation, renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric), methane and landfill gas destruction, wastewater treatment, and destruction of industrial pollutants.

For consumers purchasing cookware, bakeware, cutlery, teakettles and other kitchenware products available on PotsandPans.com, a fee will be automatically accessed for their shipping and paid to UPS by the e-commerce site on their behalf. Fees paid by PotsandPans.com will be calculated based on size and weight of package, transport distance, type of transport (ground versus air), and other variables established by UPS.

According to Meyer, the executive team at PotandPans.com collaborated with UPS for several months to create the site's automatic carbon neutral fee system.  Meyer estimates that PotsandPans.com, which re-launched this season with an entirely new platform and more user-friendly design, could raise up to $27,000 in carbon offset fees during the first year.  "We're excited to launch the UPS carbon neutral program on PotsandPans.com, which represents one of many steps taken by our company to help protect the environment," says Murphy.

Highlights of the cookware company's environmentally-friendly practices and policies include the 2010 opening of a new Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) Building that features a land-saving vertical design constructed using 30,000 tons of recycled asphalt pavement, as well as recycled steel.  Several years ago, Meyer invested in transitioning to solar energy for its facilities in Fairfield and Vallejo, California, which over 30 years, will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 5,000 tons -- equivalent to planting nearly 1,500 acres of trees.

For further information on the UPS carbon neutral program, visit ups.com/carbonneutral.

PotsandPans.com by Meyer is the company's sole cookware store and culinary resource center that provides home cooks of all abilities with the tools and knowledge to be successful in their kitchen.  The richly experiential store and culinary academy nurtures the potential of every home cook.

Established in 1981 and headquartered in Vallejo, California, Meyer Corporation, U.S. is the largest cookware company in the U.S.  Widely recognized cookware brands distributed by the company include: Circulon®, Anolon®, BonJour®, Farberware®, KitchenAid® Cookware, Rachael Ray®, Paula Deen® and SilverStone®.  

SOURCE PotsandPans.com