BNSF Sustainability Overview
BNSF and our predecessors have a long history – almost 180 years – of transporting freight that supplies the nation and world with products and materials. Because what we do is important, we have staying power, meaning our business is valued and sustainable. One carload and container at a time, we move our customers’ goods 24/7, a role that was never more critical than during a global pandemic.
While demand for our service in these challenging times has been unprecedented, our goal is to sustain our way of life, keeping America fed, clothed, supplied and powered. As a backlogged global supply chain continues to work out the kinks, we are doing everything we can to keep our commitment to moving the goods needed here and around the world. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously and is at the heart of our purpose.
In past sustainability reports, we have looked back at our journey. While that perspective is valuable, we think it’s now more important to look forward, to not only imagine the possibilities, but to have a plan. We know our purpose; next is to develop and deploy business sustainable solutions and technologies that provide long-term environmental, social and economic benefits – for the good of our planet, our employees and the communities in which we operate.
Driving Sustainable Business Solutions
Bringing our sustainability vision alive through our operations occurs through four pillars:
Sustainable Development
and Communities
“Optimal siting to responsibly avoid impact to sensitive receptors and/or minimize permitting effort”
Sustainable Operations
Program
“Drive regulatory compliance and risk reduction through Sustainable Ops solutions”
Advanced Energy Innovation
“Efficient use of energy innovation and technology to reduce Total Cost of Ownership”
Sustainable Customer Solutions
“Provide sustainable transportation solutions that meet the needs of our customers' supply chains and enables them to grow in core and emerging sustainable business markets”
Sustainable Development & Communities, focuses on the intersection between the long term development of our infrastructure and the environment we operate in and around. The primary goal is to avoid and/or minimize our impacts and to ensure projects can be built in a way that allows for the sustainable growth of the railroad.
As part of BNSF’s focus on Pollution Prevention, the Sustainable Operations Program evaluates 12 operational areas across our network to effectively identify sustainable solutions that protect the environment, support customer needs and provide operational benefits. Imbedding environmental stewardship and sustainability into our everyday operations drives sustainability throughout the organization and leads to risk reduction, cost savings and a more sustainable railroad.
Pollution prevention has always been and will continue to be a core focus for BNSF as we work together to continuously improve our prevention efforts across our railroad.
- Fueling
- Maintenance
- Wastewater
- Stormwater
- Waste Management
- Equipment/Materials Storage
- Property Operations & Maintenance
- Contractor/Leased Operations
- Construction and Expansion Activities
- Transportation Operations
- Adjacent Sensitive Receptors* (A sensitive receptor is any entity that is particularly susceptible to health effects due to exposure to a pollutant).
- Agency/Community Involvement
Embedding environmental stewardship and sustainability into our everyday operations drives sustainability throughout the organization and leads to risk reduction, cost savings and a more sustainable railroad.