Platform Science’s Environmental, Social, and Governance Commitment

At Platform Science, we’ve always believed technology will play a key role in transforming the future of transportation. We also believe the industry is evolving toward a more sustainable, environmental, and socially conscious future where technological solutions will be an essential component. We’re doing our part to make that happen and to enable our partners’ and customers’ success.

‍

Evolving our business with the changing climate

In recent years, the shift toward global sustainability has highlighted opportunities for companies like ours to pursue a more climate-friendly and people-friendly approach to doing business. As we continue to grow our operations and expand our team, we’re constantly reevaluating our procedures for areas in which we can improve our role in the global community.

With every decision we make—no matter how big or small—Platform Science supports policies that create a cleaner future, empower all peoples, and foster a transparent working environment.
To that end, we’ve recently developed a policy that ensures we have a mindful eye on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria as they apply to our operations.

‍

Exploring environmental, social, and governance criteria

So what exactly is ESG? According to Investopedia, ESG criteria are ’a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments.’ These criteria are based on the following factors:

• Environmental: How a company performs as a steward of nature
• Social: How a company manages relationships with its employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates
• Governance: How a company deals with its leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights

‍

Aligning our policy, products, and partners

As the largest source of CO2 emissions in the United States, transportation has a long way to go when it comes to lowering its impact on the environment. Significantly reducing the industry’s carbon footprint will require a variety of technology solutions and tools to be deployed both immediately and incrementally to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To help fleets achieve their goals while ensuring our own policies and procedures match up, we’ve realigned our approach to the products we offer and partners we work with.

‍
We’re excited to continue collaborating with customers who share our vision and are equally focused on delivering results in environmentally and socially responsible ways. In keeping with our commitment to our customers, we’re currently building new tools that enable fleets to efficiently track data related to their ESG initiatives. We’re also teaming up with third-party partners to offer applications and services that assist fleets in achieving their environmental goals.

‍

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Top of mind for many fleets is uncovering ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially since California and many other states require zero emissions from Class 8 vehicles by 2045. And, of course, it’s no surprise that Class 8 vehicles are heavy producers of greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, one hour of idle or dwell time equals approximately .08 gallons of fuel burned, which translates to increased emissions and pollution. 

‍

While fleets want to be more thoughtful about their emissions, uncovering ways to identify, monitor, and take action on data related to greenhouse gas emissions can be a challenge. At Platform Science, we’re offering applications to help fleets reduce fuel usage by decreasing their overall driven mileage and idling time, and we’re partnering with third-party application providers who can help fleets truly make a dent in their greenhouse gas emissions.

Maximizing fleet vehicle performance

Helping fleets make the most of their miles is one of our ongoing goals. With our monitoring, sensors, and data capture tools, fleets can easily increase efficiencies while reducing their vehicles’ environmental impact. And by partnering with freight visibility specialists, we help fleets ensure the most efficient truck loading processes are established for their drivers.

Our customers currently have access to tools for tracking engine data, identifying maintenance issues, and keeping their fleets operating efficiently. This ensures potential issues—including Diesel Exhaust Fume (DEF) levels, emission sensor faults, and APU levels—are addressed rapidly and early, reducing the risk for unnecessary emissions and their effects on the environment.
‍

Encouraging the shift to electric vehicles

We believe electric vehicles will play an essential part in increasing sustainability in the trucking industry. As the infrastructure and technology to support this evolution continue to grow, we’re committed to assisting our customers throughout the transition to a more sustainable future.

‍

To help fleets know when it’s time to make the switch, we actively work alongside them to assess and identify which trucks would be good candidates for retirement and replacement with electric vehicles. We’re also developing software supporting EV fleets with tools for tracking battery usage and charging patterns, frequency, and locations.

Our journey to trucking sustainability

We look forward to sharing our plans for supporting the evolution of carrier and shipper needs as we move toward a more sustainable future together.