Following the Volkswagen emissions scandal, EU member states have agreed to use tests that more closely mirror real road conditions to measure diesel cars' emissions.

The typical procurement organization invests heavily in supplier compliance but rarely reaps the value rewards. Compliance can often feel like a revolving door, with procurement teams evaluating the same risks and under-performing suppliers over and over again and never identifying the root causes or making real progress toward sustainability. Eventually, after a multi-year investment into a responsible sourcing program, procurement finds itself past the point of diminishing returns.

General Electric Transportation's emissions-reducing rail systems have accumulated 100 million auto-control miles, helping the rail industry save 56 million gallons of fuel and $197m in fuel costs, as well as reducing greenhouse gases by 628 kilotons.

PepsiCo's environmental sustainability programs saved the company more than $375m since its goals were established in 2010, according to Pepsi's 2014 sustainability report.

A number of major companies - from PepsiCo to Walmart to U.P.S. - have recognized that corporations have a responsibility to address the causes of climate change before it is too late. We do not have to wait for an international treaty or new regulations to act.

Annual reporting from BSR's Clean Cargo Working Group indicates that average CO2 emissions per container per kilometer for global ocean transportation routes have declined by 8.4 percent from 2013 to 2014 and by more than 29 percent since 2009.