Five ways FedEx is helping co-create a more sustainable future

As we all celebrate Earth Day, FedEx Cares is celebrating the progress of five impactful initiatives aimed at delivering a more sustainable future. Our commitment to advancing climate solutions is evident in our desire to collaborate and drive real changes in the communities we serve around the world. From cutting-edge carbon capture research at the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture to transforming transportation networks globally, FedEx is dedicated to making a positive impact.

First, consider the Mobility and Accessibility Program (MAP), a 15-year collaboration between FedEx and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, focused on improving urban transport. WRI and FedEx began working together in Mexico to help improve public transit via the expansion of bus rapid transit, reducing both congestion and emissions. Today, MAP has expanded to Brazil, India, and China, helping over 23 million people access better economic and educational opportunities while preventing over one million metric tons of CO2 emissions.

Additionally, the Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge supports innovative projects that reimagine mobility across Europe. With climate projections indicating an increase in extreme heat, many of the projects establish water stations, shaded benches, or safe travel corridors for active mobility, including pedestrians, cyclists, and scooters. Since the challenge began in 2023, Climate-KIC has provided $640,000 (USD) to support nine initiatives across six countries.

Our commitment to local community action continues with Picture Proof of Planting. At FedEx, we show customers when their package has arrived via Picture Proof of Delivery. In the same way, we invite our team members to capture their conservation efforts via photos to win $10,000 for the conservation group of their choosing. Last year, over 2,000 FedEx team members from across six continents helped improve their local climate by planting trees, restoring habitats for urban wildlife, or cleaning up beaches and parks.

While bringing climate innovations to market is often complex and costly, FedEx is working with key stakeholders to identify and scale future climate solutions:

  • FedEx helped establish the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture in 2021, where globally acclaimed faculty members are developing long-term carbon removal solutions based on the Earth’s natural processes. Today, our $100 million commitment has helped fuel a pipeline of groundbreaking research, like enhanced rock weathering, for capturing carbon at scale.
  • FedEx helped RMI launch Third Derivative (D3),an18-month accelerator program run by RMI for climate tech entrepreneurs to deliver breakthrough solutions for the climate. Today, 260+ start-ups have raised $2.6 billion in private capital to launch endeavors in battery technology, clean fuels, electric mobility, and power generation.
  • FedEx also invested in GridUp, a state-of-the-art grid planning tool developed by RMI to help utilities identify needed grid infrastructure to support electrifying fleets and charging hubs.

Finally, FedEx and Pyxera Global recently announced the creation of the Circular Supply Chain Coalition. The goal is to transform how critical minerals are sourced by utilizing urban mining, a process of recovering valuable materials from discarded products that are then reused and reintegrated into the economy with the goals of reducing waste, strengthening domestic supply chains, and creating new economic opportunities for local circular enterprises and entrepreneurs who are creating high-skill jobs.

All five examples underscore that meaningful progress FedEx is helping to deliver through intentional collaboration. By bringing together expertise, resources, and perspectives from around the globe, these initiatives move beyond aspirational goals towards the practical implementation of solutions with measurable impacts.