Tricon Energy is an industry leader in the global trade and distribution market, striving to enhance international commerce through the movement and marketing of petrochemicals, polymers, and raw materials. Founded in 1996 and based out of Houston, Texas, Tricon’s team now spans over 22 countries.

Elizabeth Carlson, Tricon’s Chief Sustainability Officer, joined Tricon in 2021 to launch the company’s sustainability program and bring together the individual initiatives of the company into a collective and cohesive effort. When Elizabeth first came on board, Tricon Energy had not yet established mechanisms for tracking their sustainability data. Fast forward six months, with Elizabeth’s leadership, they published their first full sustainability report, which is a rare milestone for their industry.

As Elizabeth describes, “It’s been a quick takeoff, and trying to run forward on these goals.” This is where Flexport.org has made a difference. While Elizabeth and the team knew that logistics likely made up the majority of their carbon footprint, they needed a better way to estimate this amount. Flexport’s online tool enabled Tricon to calculate their emissions across road, rail, and ocean freight. Access to the emissions data enabled Tricon to understand their carbon footprint, which was critical for their sustainability report, to determine understand whether their goals were achievable, and from there, to make the business case to executives.

Since then, Tricon has reached a number of milestones in their sustainability journey. Recently, they’ve received the gold status for their sustainability rating with EcoVadis, the world’s largest provider of sustainability ratings, which represents a 24-point improvement from their initial assessment two years prior. Elizabeth has also helped champion a responsible sourcing and product stewardship standard. This enables Tricon to set expectations for suppliers, customers, and service providers. With Elizabeth’s commitment and Flexport as their partner, they’re able to advance initiatives grounded in social impact and continue disrupting a historically traditional industry.