- What is a sustainable 3PL?
- A sustainable 3PL is a third-party logistics provider that measures and reduces its own greenhouse-gas emissions (scope 1, 2, and 3), invests in lower-emission equipment, and gives its customers the data they need to decarbonize their own supply chains. Taylor Logistics reports scope 1/2/3 emissions through Normative, operates a 40%-reduction fleet via Taylor Distributing, and is an EPA SmartWay Transport Partner.
- How does Taylor measure scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions?
- Taylor uses Normative as its primary carbon-accounting platform — quantifying scope 1 (direct fleet and facility fuel), scope 2 (purchased electricity), and scope 3 (purchased goods, services, business travel, and supplier emissions) with auditable, science-based methodology. Samsara provides telematics for our fleet's scope 1 emissions, and SmartWay benchmarks our transportation fuel efficiency.
- Is Taylor Logistics part of Leadership on Climate Transition?
- Yes. Taylor participates in Leadership on Climate Transition (LOCT) — a peer-led program that equips suppliers with the training and tools to measure their carbon footprint, set science-based reduction targets, and engage their own supply chains on climate action. Membership gives our enterprise customers credible scope-3 data for their CDP and SBTi reporting.
- How does Taylor help customers reduce their scope 3 emissions?
- Customers' scope 3 includes the emissions of the 3PLs and carriers they use. Taylor reduces that line item three ways: (1) by lowering our own scope 1 and 2 — a 40% reduction on the new 2023 fleet, SmartWay-certified transport, and recycled-material VAS programs; (2) by reporting auditable emissions data customers can hand directly to their disclosure team; (3) by working with customers' sourcing teams on packaging, mode-shift, and consolidation opportunities that cut emissions per shipment.
- Has Taylor's sustainability work been independently recognized?
- Yes. Taylor Logistics received the 2024 TMSA Purpose Award from the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association for its sustainability initiatives. Our sibling company Taylor Distributing has been an EPA SmartWay Transport Partner for over five years.
Every credible decarbonization plan starts here. Below: what each scope contains, what we're doing about it, and what we report back to our customers.
Combustion from sources we own and operate — our fleet (Taylor Distributing trucks), forklifts, yard equipment, and on-site natural-gas heating.
- −40%Scope 1 + 2 reduction on the 2023 new fleet (Taylor Distributing)
- SamsaraTelematics-driven idling, route-efficiency, and fuel reporting
- EPA SmartWay5+ years as a Transport Partner for fuel-efficiency benchmarking
Electricity we buy to light, cool, refrigerate, and power our 3M+ sq ft of warehousing across OH, ME, PA, and GA.
- LED retrofitFacility-wide lighting and motion-controlled fixtures
- DronesGather AI cycle-counting drones cut labor hours and floor-truck traffic
- Cold-chain opsTighter dock-door discipline and thermal-envelope audits at MICSF
The biggest, hardest category — everything upstream and downstream of our own operations, including the suppliers we buy from and the carriers we tender to.
- Supplier CodeEthical and environmental standards baked into procurement
- LOCTLeadership on Climate Transition — training and SBT alignment
- Plastic-free VASRecycled-content packaging through partner sourcing
- NormativeAuditable scope-3 reporting customers can hand to their CDP/SBTi team
A 3PL is one of the largest line items in most companies' scope-3 disclosure. We treat that responsibility seriously — and give you the numbers to prove it.
Your purchased logistics services sit in scope 3, category 4 (upstream transportation and distribution) and 9 (downstream). Every kg we don't emit is a kg you don't have to report.
We hand you Normative-grade scope 1, 2, and 3 reports for the activity we run on your behalf — formatted for your CDP submission, SBTi target, or annual ESG disclosure.
Mode-shift recommendations from our brokerage team — intermodal, multi-stop consolidation, and SmartWay-certified carrier selection where it makes route and timing sense.
Our plastic-free VAS program sources recycled-content materials for fulfillment kitting, co-packing, and shipper-level packaging — a high-leverage scope-3 reduction your customers actually see.
Each of these initiatives ladders up to a specific line in our scope 1, 2, or 3 reporting. None of them are theoretical — they're running today, across our network.
Gather AI cycle-counting drones operate autonomously inside our facilities — replacing scissor-lift-driven manual counts with quieter, lower-energy aerial scans. Less equipment runtime, fewer labor hours, and the inventory data is more accurate than the legacy method.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct embeds ethical and environmental expectations into every procurement relationship. Partnering with aligned organizations is how we credibly reduce our scope-3 footprint and extend the sustainability standard beyond our four walls.
Recycled-content materials run through our value-added services — kitting, co-packing, and shipper packaging. We work with our customers' sourcing teams to swap virgin plastic for FSC-certified paper, recycled corrugate, and curbside-recyclable mailers.
Our sibling company Taylor Distributing took delivery of a new fleet in 2023 that cut scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 40%. Samsara telematics give us live fuel, idling, and route-efficiency data — so we can keep tuning that number down.
Robust recycling programs run at every Taylor facility — corrugate, shrink wrap, pallets, and electronics. We work with partners and suppliers on closed-loop packaging where the economics support it, and we measure tonnage diverted as a facility-level KPI.
Normative is the carbon-accounting platform underneath our scope 1, 2, and 3 reporting. It quantifies our footprint with science-based methodology, surfaces the highest-leverage reduction opportunities, and produces the auditable output enterprise customers need.
We deliver structured sustainability training through Alchemy — equipping every teammate with the knowledge to uphold our environmental commitments. Compliance is the floor; the goal is a culture where every operator sees their role in the carbon picture.
Taylor Distributing has been an EPA SmartWay Transport Partner for over five years — committing to measure, benchmark, and improve fuel efficiency across the fleet. The designation gives our customers a recognized standard for the transportation portion of their footprint.
From recognition to ramps to packaging lines — the sustainability story isn't a slide deck. It's what's happening across the network right now.
Supply chain
TMSA — 2024
Partnership
Operations
Fleet
People
Drones
SmartWay
Recycling
We deliberately use third-party platforms, federal programs, and peer-led groups so our numbers are not self-graded.
01 Does Taylor Logistics report scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions? +
02 What is Leadership on Climate Transition (LOCT)? +
03 How much has Taylor reduced fleet emissions? +
04 What is the EPA SmartWay program and why does it matter? +
05 Can Taylor provide sustainable packaging for my products? +
06 Is sustainability data available for customer ESG reports and CDP submissions? +
07 Has Taylor's sustainability work won industry awards? +
Bring us your disclosure deadline, your reporting framework, and the part of your supply chain that needs to move. We'll show you what changing 3PLs can do to your footprint — and your bottom line.
- Your disclosure framework (CDP, SBTi, EcoVadis, etc.)
- Annual freight volume + warehouse footprint
- Reporting deadline & required scope coverage
- Packaging or EPR constraints we should know about