Kansas City Southern publishes 2018 sustainability report

Kansas City Southern (KCS) has published its sustainability report, ‘For the Long Haul: Delivering Prosperity, Valuing People, Protecting the Planet’, based on their performance in 2018. The report follows the Global Reporting Initiative’s latest standards for disclosing governance, economic, social, and environmental topics – providing the disclosure of measurable data and specific information related to sustainability.

Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, KCS’ President and CEO, said: “Responsible business practices are key to KCS’ vision, values and culture and to maintaining strong relationships with our stakeholders. We are proud to share our 2018 sustainability report that clearly illustrates why sustainable practices are important to our business, and how they help us fulfil our vision to consistently be the fastest-growing, best-performing, most customer-focused transportation provider in North America.”

Highlights of the report include a reduction in KCS’ carbon footprint – through design and innovation, the company was able to reduce waste and energy usage, and Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions were decreased by utilising fuel-reduction technologies and operational initiatives.

Employee experience was also reported to have improved – continuing to diversify the workforce and optimising employee experiences by way of innovative technology were to contributing factors to this improvement.

Other highlights featured were the elevation of the company’s commitment to safety by making operations more safe and secure, resulting in a reduction of reportable injuries; and the beginning in 2018 of what became in 2019 KCS’ Precision Scheduled Railroading, helping the company realise significant improvements in efficiency and productivity.