The achievements of the U.S. EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership have governments and other organizations around the globe sitting up and taking note, according to an agency press release. At the first SmartWay International Summit, representatives from 12 countries, major retailers, and freight carriers gathered to discuss ways to reduce greenhouse gases from the transportation sector.

The conference was hosted by the U.S. EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership and the University of Michigan on Dec. 2 – 4, 2008. Businesses worldwide want to reduce the environmental impacts of shipping their goods, and programs like SmartWay can help them reach their goals. During the summit, participants shared best practices and exchanged ideas on how to track greenhouse gas emissions and how to implement SmartWay-type programs overseas.

Australia, France, Japan, and New Zealand are now among countries establishing or strengthening similar programs to SmartWay. Additionally, with the volume of international trade, conference attendees are working to adopt a more consistent approach worldwide to measuring and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from the global supply chain.

Launched in February 2004, the SmartWay Transport Partnership currently has more than 1,200 partners in the U.S. who are on track for 2008 to save about 540 million gallons of diesel fuel and greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming chemicals.

For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/smartway/transport/partner-resources/internationalsummit.htm.