Writing Our Sustainability Story

In 2018, PITT OHIO grew shipments by 2.3% which ultimately increased our miles driven by our trucks. As our business continues to grow, so does our sustainability story.

Upon completion of our Annual Sustainability Report, we sat down with PITT OHIO’s Director of Sustainability Justine Russo to get her thoughts on the industry and the impact on the environment.

In terms of sustainability, what is the biggest change PITT OHIO has made? How do you recommend we become “greener?”

Justine Russo: Every department at PITT OHIO has its own expertise and I think the biggest change PITT OHIO has made has been the combination of everyone’s efforts into the Big Picture.

For example, our Operations teams were already working on miles per gallon before the term “sustainability” came around.

Our Building Maintenance team was putting in waterless urinals and LED lights before we started measuring and reporting on our water and electricity usage. Sustainability gave us the opportunity to see how everything combined into an overall Sustainability Story.

PITT OHIO will continue to become greener by focusing on innovation. Historically, PITT OHIO has not been afraid to pilot or test ideas. Ideas that don’t work are quickly bypassed, but when ideas work, they are expanded. One example of this was the small micro-grid in Pittsburgh PA.

This micro-grid stores power from solar panels and WindStax wind turbines in batteries so Operations can use it when they need it.

We saw tremendous success in reducing our carbon footprint through this experiment. Now we are adding a new micro-grid at the new Cleveland terminal that will be approximately 8 times the capacity.

Has sustainable living always been a big part of your life? Are you surprised, happy and/or appreciative to see it overlapping into your work?

Justine Russo: I studied Civil and Environmental Engineering as an undergrad, but life took a different path. Back when I started at PITT OHIO in the Business Intelligence department, I never envisioned quite the intersection of sustainability and business. It is exciting, especially in our business.

How has the industry changed in your view? What more needs done?

Justine Russo: The transportation industry has a tremendous opportunity ahead. Freight must move and diesel trucks are an important part of our country’s economy. There are three scopes of emissions that companies can measure: Scope 1 are emissions you generate from your operations, Scope 2 is what you buy from power plants such as electricity and Scope 3 are emissions from your supply chain.

Measuring Scope 3 carbon emissions is not a real focus for many U.S. shippers just yet. Right now we have a handful of customers using tools to measure their Scope 3 emissions, such as the Carbon Disclosure Project or Ecovadis, which provide sustainability ratings & scorecards across vendors, including transportation providers. As more customers start to look at the emissions from their supply chains, that will drive the transportation industry to do even more.

Why should shippers care about sustainability for their own company or why should they care to ship with a company that is focused on sustainability?

Justine Russo: Sustainability is about doing business better. Every organization is challenged to find ways to be more efficient and eliminate waste from their systems and if they are doing that, then they are being sustainable.

Also in surveys, employees consistently say they prefer to work for sustainable organizations. A lot of people think of green / environmental tactics when they hear sustainability, but it really is three parts: environmental, economic, and equity.

At PITT OHIO, we follow a People, Planet, Purpose approach because we want to make sure that what we are doing is also improving conditions for employees and improving our bottom line. And there’s a reason why People is first. Happy and engaged employees provide great service and it shows in our results!

Related White Papers

PITT OHIO Sustainability Report
The path of sustainability is not a straight line. Once you’ve achieved results, you have to set the bar higher and find new ways of doing things to see further improvements. Download Now!