TQL buzzing over sustainability strides
BeeQL hive system, thousands of honeybees aid ecology strategies to make the world a better place
Total Quality Logistics’ honeybees are back in action after the winter.
Through a partnership with our local Save Your Bees organization and a commitment to sustainability, we began hosting over 100,000 bees last fall in a hive system called BeeQL.
We modeled our hives after seven TQL locations: Cincinnati HQ, Cincy North, Edison, Tampa, Charlotte, San Antonio and Lexington.
The bees' activity is perking up and honey harvest is on the horizon. Save Your Bees will extract honey from BeeQL hives in May and June.
We’re big fans of these biodiversity warriors and honored to play a small role in making our planet a better place to live.
Through our “Bee the Change” campaign, our employees can adopt a BeeQL bee on behalf of themselves or others and share a commitment to sustainability. Not only do they receive a personalized bee adoption certificate, but TQL will donate the proceeds and $2,500 to the Save The Bees national organization before Earth Day on April 22.
When it comes to sustainability efforts, we don’t stop there.
We’re tackling climate change by partnering with sustainability focused organizations, reducing empty miles and food waste, and promoting less carbon intensive modes and services. We’re dedicated to minimizing our environmental footprint.
Empty Miles Reduction Program
The transportation sector is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions.
Empty miles, or miles driven by carriers who are not hauling freight, is part of that equation. When drivers drop off loads but don’t have replacement goods to haul on return trips, these empty trucks rack up billions of deadhead, or non-revenue, miles on freeways.
We committed to eliminating 45 million miles by 2025, and then we exceeded that goal. We have reduced 48 million miles as of 2023.
By leveraging our proprietary technology, our Empty Miles Reduction Program continues to decrease some of the 76 million tons of carbon dioxide generated by empty miles.
While we’re reducing truckload empty miles, we’re also proud to offer Intermodal services, which have a significantly reduced carbon footprint than trucks.
Moves that Matter
TQL’s Moves that Matter is the only program of its kind in the logistics industry. We promote sustainability by donating our logistics expertise and 140,000-plus carrier network to transport donated goods to nonprofits, foodbanks and communities in need.
Moving freight is complicated and expensive, from oversized items like playground equipment to time- and temperature-sensitive shipments of water, food and medicine for people affected by natural disasters. Logistics isn’t an area of expertise held by most nonprofits or their volunteers.
TQL is uniquely positioned to assist, allowing nonprofits’ time and monetary resources to be spent on their missions. MTM has transported over 1,100 loads to 340 nonprofits since 2014.
MTM and HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit company, have teamed up to move 580+ truckloads of fresh food to six food banks nationwide. MTM and HelloFresh’s Beyond the Box program bring fresh, nutritious food to people experiencing food insecurity. Through this collaboration, we also have diverted 10.4 million pounds of food from landfills annually.
Needs for donated goods were so great in September 2020 due to the pandemic that we pledged to cover $1 million in transportation costs through MTM. We reached the halfway point in two years, 30% faster than expected.
We wanted to do more, we had the ability do more, and the need was exponentially more. So we doubled our commitment to $2 million.
We reached the halfway mark of that pledge in July 2023.
Facility measures
TQL’s expansion of Cincinnati HQ incorporates sustainability measures like smart lighting solutions.
Our daylight harvesting light sensors provide dynamic lighting that senses the natural light in the office and adjusts to accommodate an appropriate lighting level. Our motion-activated light fixtures allow for energy savings when rooms and offices are unoccupied.
We also utilize Energy Recovery Wheel HVAC, which increases the volume and rate of fresh air turnover and has a lower carbon footprint than traditional HVAC (creating energy savings).
Other facility-wide initiatives include Reusable Water Bottle fill stations. These are used an estimated 700+ times per day, reducing our dependence on disposable plastic water bottles.
Strategic placement of trash cans and well-labeled recycling collection stations in office spaces have also reduced overall plastic bag waste and promoted recycling on-site. By implementing a Trash Can Buddy program, we removed half of the individual trash cans at HQ. This eliminated waste from 182,000 plastic trash liners annually.
Sustainability partnerships
We focus on environmental sustainability through industry groups and certifications, operational efforts and collaboration with our customers and carriers.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named TQL a Smartway Partner in Logistics every year since 2010 for promoting environmental health, safety and sustainability. Last year, we moved over 370,000 loads more sustainably through Smartway’s certified carriers.
- The American Chemistry Council has named us a six-time Responsible Care Partner of the Year for our track record of excellence in environmental, health, safety and security measures. We are an industry leader in the safe and compliant movement of hazardous materials.
- We are members of Transported Asset Protection Association, EcoVadis and Together for Sustainability, a global initiative dedicated to sustainability practices in the chemical industry’s supply chain. We take great care in transporting materials like chemicals that could pose environmental risks if mishandled. We also have our own in-house programs that reduce waste.
Want to work for a company with strategized sustainability efforts? Check out TQL’s job openings.