Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The United Parcel Service (UPS) is actively engaged with climate change policy in the US and takes a mix of positive and negative positions on legislation. UPS has advocated for government funding for infrastructure and research for vehicles powered by fossil gas, in addition to biogas and electric vehicles, and has advocated to delay the Advanced Clean Trucks rule in Massachusetts. UPS retains membership to several trade associations that are obstructive of climate change policies.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: UPS has mostly positive top-line messaging on climate policy. In the company’s 2023 GRI Report, released March 2024, UPS stated support for multiple forms of climate policy. In the company’s Statement on Climate Change, accessed on its corporate website in December 2024, the company appeared generally supportive of regulations to address climate change, but with significant exceptions. The company does not appear to have published a clear position on the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: UPS was engaged with EPA’s Phase 3 GHG emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles, advocating for the “inclusion of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions analysis in GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles,” according to the company’s Q1, Q2, and Q3 US federal lobbying reports. UPS supported incentives for the production of sustainable aviation fuel according to its 2023 Climate Lobbying Report.
Positioning on Energy Transition: UPS appears to have both negative and positive engagement with policies to transition the energy mix. UPS advocated to delay the implementation of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule in an October 2024 joint letter to the Governor of Massachusetts.
The company advocated for government inventives for the use and infrastructure required for fossil gas used in motor vehicles, in addition to incentives for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, according to its 2023 Climate Lobbying Report, released in January 2024, and 2023 CDP disclosure. UPS also disclosed in its Q3 2024 US lobbying disclosure that it advocated for funding for research into electric aircraft and delivery trucks. The company also stated in its Q3 2024 lobbying disclosure that it is engaged on a number of incentives that would subsidize vehicles powered by fossil gas, biogas, or electric vehicles, including the Natural Gas Incentive Act of 2022, the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Renewable Natural Gas Incentive Act.
The company also stated on its corporate website, accessed in December 2024, that it has engaged with government and collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Industry Association Governance: UPS has disclosed a partial account of its industry associations in its 2023 Climate Lobbying Report and Political Engagement Policy Report, but this has excluded membership to Airlines UK, AmCham EU, the American Retirement Association,the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations. UPS is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce and The Transport Project, both of which are negatively engaged with climate change policies in the US, in addition to maintaining a seat as a board member of the American Legislative Exchange Council.