KBX Logistics and Georgia-Pacific Receive U.S. EPA 2021 SmartWay Excellence Awards, Building on Historic Recognition for Environmental Performance

WICHITA, Kan., Oct. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KBX Logistics (a subsidiary of KBX) and Georgia-Pacific – affiliates of Koch Industries, Inc. – today each received SmartWay® Excellence Awards from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding environmental performance and leadership in their supply chain operations. KBX earned the award in the logistics category while Georgia-Pacific received the award in the shipper category. The SmartWay Excellence Award is one of the highest recognitions for logistics providers and freight shippers in supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency.

"Earning the EPA's SmartWay Excellence Award is a testament to KBX's critical work in the logistics industry – particularly at a time where the supply chain is under tremendous strain during the Covid-19 pandemic," said Paul Snider, President of KBX Logistics. "At KBX, we are continuously enhancing our capabilities and operations to transform the North American supply chain into one that is more seamlessly connected, efficient, and safe for operators and the customers we serve. This award underscores KBX's dedication to innovation and sustainable operations, and a validation of the KBX team's hard work."

As one of the largest dedicated fleets in the U.S., with more than 5,000 domestic daily shipments and approximately 3,000 drivers, KBX is an integral part of the North American supply chain. KBX earned the EPA's 2021 SmartWay Excellence Award in recognition for numerous operational efficiencies and achievements in 2020, including lowering idling and driver dwell times; improving loading and unloading efficiency; reducing emissions; experimenting with electric vehicles and autonomous technology; and upgrading assets that reduced electricity usage by 36%. KBX has also been a leader in developing and implementing innovative technology solutions to support the supply chain, such as its Loadshop digital marketplace and electronic Bill of Lading (eBOL), which offer supply chain operators the ability to optimize shipping operations for peak efficiency, safety and transparency.

Georgia-Pacific has long been a leader in shipping, and this 2021 award builds on its impressive history of SmartWay Excellence recognition. Georgia-Pacific encourages all carrier partners to be registered SmartWay Carriers, which reduces freight transportation-related emissions by accelerating advanced fuel-saving. Georgia-Pacific encourages all carrier partners to join SmartWay and utilize the free tools to measure, benchmark and track their efforts to increase efficiency and fuel economy. Additional efforts by Georgia-Pacific to reduce air emissions include investing nearly $27 million within the last year at its Green Bay Broadway mill to replace the final coal-fired boiler with a natural gas boiler that produces steam for process use and power generation. The mill's sulfur dioxide emissions were reduced to zero, while the nitrogen oxide emissions were reduced by 90%. Georgia-Pacific is also scheduled to spend more than $14 million to take down and remove coal-handling systems, coal boilers and other obsolete equipment and buildings.

"Georgia-Pacific's long-standing partnership with KBX enables us to better serve our customers by managing efficient delivery of our products," said Christian Fischer, President and CEO of Georgia-Pacific. "Earning the EPA's SmartWay Excellence Award is an example of how preferred partnerships with companies like KBX are important in helping us provide our customers and consumers better alternatives than what they have, while consuming fewer resources."

KBX and Georgia-Pacific are two of 12 logistics and shipper companies to receive this distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay's nearly 4,000 partners. This year's awards were announced at a virtual press event hosted by the EPA with its SmartWay Partners, key stakeholders and media in attendance.  

About KBX Logistics 
KBX Logistics is a leader in supply chain logistics, providing its customers with cutting-edge technologies and innovative data analytics solutions for their freight needs. KBX Logistics approaches freight logistics through optimization that enhances service, increases capacity and reduces costs in a safe, sustainable, and efficient way. KBX Logistics is a subsidiary of KBX, a Koch Industries Inc. company. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries is one of the largest private companies in America, with estimated annual revenues as high as $115 billion, according to Forbes. For more information on KBX, visit www.kbx.com. 

About Georgia-Pacific 
Based in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiaries are among the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of bath tissue, paper towels and napkins, tableware, paper-based packaging, cellulose, specialty fibers, building products and related chemicals. Our familiar consumer brands include Quilted Northern®, Angel Soft®, Brawny®, Dixie®, enMotion®, Sparkle® and Vanity Fair®. Georgia-Pacific has long been a leading supplier of building products to lumber and building materials dealers and large do-it-yourself warehouse retailers. Its Georgia-Pacific Recycling subsidiary is among the world's largest traders of paper, metal and plastics. The company operates more than 150 facilities and employs more than 30,000 people directly and creates approximately 89,000 jobs indirectly. For more information, visit: gp.com/about-us. For news, visit: gp.com/news

About SmartWay
EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership is a market-driven initiative that empowers businesses to move goods in the cleanest, most energy-efficient way possible, while protecting public health and reducing air pollution. Demonstrating a commitment to corporate sustainability and social responsibility through SmartWay provides for a more competitive business environment, while enabling partners to make freight decisions that have a positive impact on efficiency and the environment.

Since 2004, SmartWay Partners have avoided emitting more than 143 million metric tons of CO₂, 2.7 million tons NO_X, and 112,000 tons PM, while saving $44.8 billion in fuel costs and 335 million barrels of oil -- equivalent to eliminating annual energy use in over 21 million homes.

For more information on SmartWay, please visit: www.epa.gov/smartway/ 

For more information on the SmartWay Excellence Awards, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/smartway/smartway-excellence-awardees    

SOURCE Koch Industries