According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the global poverty rate fell nearly 75 percent between 1970 and 2006. Of course, FedEx cannot claim credit for that trend,but we certainly contributed to it.  

We've helped bring new levels of opportunity and prosperity to millions around the world. I am proud to be part of a team of some 290,000 FedEx people who improve global prosperity every day. Our team has created something very meaningful.  

We have truly changed what's possible and because of that, we have a commitment to people around the globe: to use resources responsibly; to expand our capabilities wisely and well; and to help people, businesses, and communities thrive. 

This Global Citizenship Update offers many examples of how we live up to our responsibilities. It documents our progress in four specific areas: 

1) Economics and Access,

2) Environment and Efficiency,

3) Community and Disaster Relief, and

4) People and Workplace. 

It tells stories of how FedEx team members drive us forward responsibly and resourcefully. Their actions speak just as loudly as the numbers that mark our progress. Every FedEx team member contributes.  

We've focused great efforts over the past year on reducing our dependence on petroleum. Every day, we deliver more than 8.5 million shipments to more than 220 countries and territories. Every day, we fly the equivalent of a half-million miles, and drive almost 12 million miles. That's why we've advocated for a future light-vehicle transportation system that relies more on electricity and less on oil. 

In this report, you will learn about our team members' efforts in many areas. How they pioneer new technologies that make our systems, vehicles, and routes more efficient. How they help our company and the world achieve more with limited resources. How they create new connections between people and businesses everywhere.

In a truly global economy, prosperity depends on global connections. We make those connections happen reliably, millions of times every day. We provide access to the opportunities that make people's lives better. 

We are FedEx, and we intend to conduct our business profitably while meeting public expectations for good corporate citizenship. 

In fact, we've got about 290,000 people working on it right now. 

Frederick W. Smith
Chairman and CEO

To Catalyze Commerce, You Need a World Full of Connections

By connecting the world, we create opportunity. And opportunity, it becomes clearer every day, is what fuels economic recovery.

As businesses rebound from the Great Recession, we see them learning to take advantage of faster, more technologically advanced Access. They’re becoming leaner and more nimble, further reducing inventory costs and reaction time. They’re rethinking business models, creating innovations that give them the advantage of being aligned to the technological realities of today. And perhaps most important, they’re able to connect to more of the world’s markets, creating mutual benefit between developed and emerging markets.

FedEx, of course, plays a key role in connecting emerging markets with opportunities that simply don’t exist within their borders. This expands the global market, creating a virtuous cycle. Developed countries gain access to new goods and services, as well as to the growing middle classes in emerging markets. Then the people and businesses in emerging markets gain access to new consumers for their wares, as well as to products and services that improve their health and well-being.

We call it the Access Effect.

Global Culture Meets Local Culture, and Flourishes

Sorting Smarter

Bold Leadership on Electric Vehicles

Our Global Reach and Unique Expertise Combine to Help When Disasters Hit

Natural disasters can strike anywhere. Casualties often number in the tens of thousands. When people need immediate assistance, we use our unique shipping expertise, global reach and long-standing relationships with humanitarian agencies to help lead a worldwide response.

In Japan, we responded with cash and shipping services to move emergency supplies to victims of the tsunami and earthquake.  In fact, in every major disaster in recent years we have put our global network at the service of emergency relief efforts.

In Haiti, FedEx Trade Networks teamed up with Heart to Heart International, sending aid shipments to those affected by the earthquake. FedEx Trade Networks provided two cargo containers filled with donations of medical supplies, bottled water and beds. The cargo containers were then converted into school buildings for Haitian children.