UNITED PARCEL SERVICES INC

United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS), headquartered in Dallas, Texas and classified under NAICS code 492110, enters fiscal 2026 carrying a multi-year hazardous-waste compliance record that its public sustainability disclosures do not foreground. EPA ECHO data indexed under the corporate slug 'united-parcel-services-inc' show 10 tracked facilities, 6 violations within the trailing 24-month window, and a derived penalty total of $6,424,160 [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. The picture is considerably larger at the corporate-parent level. The aggregated UPS family in ECHO reports 547 facilities, 190 trailing 24-month violations, and a derived penalty total of $528,489,120 [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. Revenue reached $88.7 billion in 2025. The company delivered an average of 20.8 million packages per day [source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1090727/000162828026008432/ups-20251231.htm].

Two federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) consent agreements anchor the compliance record. On June 16, 2021, EPA Region 6 reached a settlement with UPS and TForce Freight resolving alleged hazardous-waste handling violations at 183 facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas, with a $3.8 million civil penalty [source: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/united-parcel-service-inc-ups-settlement]. Sixteen months later, on October 19, 2022, EPA announced a nationwide consent agreement resolving alleged violations across 1,160 UPS facilities in 45 states and Puerto Rico [source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/ups-settles-epa-correct-alleged-hazardous-waste-violations-nationwide]. A shareholder proposal filed for the May 7, 2026 annual meeting requests that UPS conduct due diligence and disclose an evaluation of community impacts related to environmental injustice at its facilities [source: https://collaborate.unpri.org/group/36786/stream]. Neither UPS's 2024 GRI report nor its 2025 Sustainability and Community Impact Report foregrounds these RCRA consent agreements in summary form [source: https://about.ups.com/content/dam/upsstories/images/our-impact/reporting/2024-UPS-GRI-Report.pdf].

EPA ECHO data for the entity slug 'united-parcel-services-inc' lists 10 facilities under EPA Registry IDs 110031308662, 110070637385, 110005819962, 110070541417, 110018115886, 110070862858, 110005072009, 110049989189, 110005040614, and 110072043353, with the most recent permit-related date recorded as December 30, 2024 [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. The 24-month violation count of 6 derives from quarters-with-noncompliance signals capped at 8. The $6,424,160 penalty figure pro-rates ECHO's implied five-year total of $16,060,400 across a 24/60 window [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. Active National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits flagged for this slug stand at zero, consistent with the company's package-handling and parcel-sorting profile rather than industrial wastewater discharge.

Two federal enforcement actions frame the 24-month compliance narrative and trace back further than the window itself. On June 16, 2021, EPA Region 6 announced a consent agreement with UPS and TForce Freight resolving alleged hazardous-waste handling violations at 183 facilities across five states. The agreement required compliance correction within 24 months and a $3.8 million civil penalty [source: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/united-parcel-service-inc-ups-settlement]. EPA's enforcement page carries a 'Last updated on May 29, 2025' notation for the full consent agreement and final order document, signaling continued agency tracking [source: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/consent-agreement-and-final-order-ups]. On October 19, 2022, EPA announced a follow-on nationwide consent agreement covering 1,160 UPS facilities in 45 states and Puerto Rico, citing alleged failures to make land disposal determinations and to conduct proper on-site management of hazardous waste [source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/ups-settles-epa-correct-alleged-hazardous-waste-violations-nationwide].

Two more recent disclosures complete the compliance timeline. The Q1 2026 Form 10-Q, filed May 6, 2026, discloses an unspecified environmental incident for which UPS recorded immaterial contingencies in Other current liabilities, with corresponding insurance recoveries in Accounts receivable, as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025; UPS states it continues to assess environmental and business impacts and is subject to claims, litigation, and other proceedings arising from the incident [source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1090727/000162828026031154/ups-20260331.htm]. The company does not believe the financial impact will be material to results of operations or liquidity [source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1090727/000162828026031154/ups-20260331.htm]. A shareholder proposal filed on the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) collaboration portal requests that UPS conduct due diligence and disclose an evaluation of community impacts related to environmental injustice; it is listed as 'Filed' for the AGM dated May 7, 2026 [source: https://collaborate.unpri.org/group/36786/stream].

Action 1 — EPA Region 6 RCRA Consent Agreement and Final Order. Announced June 16, 2021 from Dallas, Texas. Respondents: United Parcel Service, Inc. and TForce Freight, Inc. Program: RCRA (hazardous waste). Geographic scope: 183 facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Civil penalty: $3,800,000. Compliance window: 24 months from execution. Respondents agreed to create enhanced compliance programs in cooperation with EPA [source: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/united-parcel-service-inc-ups-settlement]. The full consent agreement and final order document — posted as a 777.07 KB PDF on EPA's enforcement page — carries a last-updated date of May 29, 2025, reflecting continued agency recordkeeping [source: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/consent-agreement-and-final-order-ups].

Action 2 — EPA Nationwide RCRA Consent Agreement and Final Order. Announced October 19, 2022 from Washington, D.C. Respondent: United Parcel Service, Inc. Program: RCRA (hazardous waste). Geographic scope: 1,160 facilities across 45 states and the territory of Puerto Rico. Alleged conduct included failure to make land disposal determinations and failure to conduct proper on-site management of hazardous waste. UPS agreed to implement environmental policies to prevent future noncompliance [source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/ups-settles-epa-correct-alleged-hazardous-waste-violations-nationwide]. Trade press reporting associated a penalty figure of approximately $5.3 million with this 2022 nationwide action [source: https://www.law360.com/real-estate-authority/residential/articles/].

Action 3 — ECHO-tracked trailing 24-month enforcement (slug 'united-parcel-services-inc'). Violation count: 6. Derived penalty total: $6,424,160. Active permits: 0. Latest permit-related date: December 30, 2024. Top-pollutant constituents are not populated in the ECHO summary for this slug. The environmental justice index average is reported as 0.0, reflecting either non-population or absence of EJSCREEN buffer-level aggregation for the listed facility IDs rather than a finding of zero exposure [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip].

Action 4 — Q1 2026 10-Q environmental incident disclosure. Filing date: May 6, 2026. UPS recorded immaterial environmental remediation contingencies in Other current liabilities as of March 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025, with corresponding insurance recoveries in Accounts receivable. The company is subject to claims, litigation, and other proceedings arising from the incident. UPS does not believe the financial impact will be material to results of operations or liquidity, while noting resolution could result in additional charges and related insurance recoveries in future periods — amounts that cannot be reasonably estimated at this time [source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1090727/000162828026031154/ups-20260331.htm].

Facility 1 — EPA Registry ID 110031308662. ECHO lists this site among the 10 facilities tied to the 'united-parcel-services-inc' slug. No top-pollutants list is populated for the site under this slug. The EJ index average for the cluster is reported as 0.0, reflecting EJSCREEN buffer non-population in the ECHO export rather than a substantive determination of zero exposure [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip].

Facility 2 — EPA Registry ID 110070637385. Listed in the same 10-facility cluster. Six violations distributed across 10 facilities produce a per-facility violation rate of approximately 0.6 over 24 months. That rate is consistent with parcel-handling operations, where RCRA generator-status determinations rather than continuous emission events typically drive noncompliance [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip].

Facility 3 — EPA Registry ID 110005819962. Tracked under the same corporate slug. Both the 2021 Region 6 consent agreement and the 2022 nationwide consent agreement target hazardous-waste handling at parcel hubs of this profile — specifically land disposal determinations and on-site waste management practices [source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/ups-settles-epa-correct-alleged-hazardous-waste-violations-nationwide].

Facility 4 — EPA Registry ID 110070541417. The most recent permit-related date in ECHO across the 10-facility cluster is December 30, 2024 [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. No active NPDES permits are flagged for the cluster. That absence is consistent with parcel sorting and ground-fleet operations, which generate RCRA-regulated waste streams rather than wastewater requiring discharge authorization.

Facility 5 — EPA Registry ID 110018115886. Also in the 10-facility cluster. The separately enumerated corporate variant 'united-parcel-service' aggregates 547 facilities and 190 trailing 24-month violations, with a derived penalty total of $528,489,120; aggregate corporate exposure substantially exceeds what any single 10-site cluster reflects [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. The remaining five cluster facilities are EPA Registry IDs 110070862858, 110005072009, 110049989189, 110005040614, and 110072043353 [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip].

Pollutant 1 — RCRA-regulated hazardous waste (universal waste, used oil, ignitable/corrosive/reactive/toxic characteristic waste). EPA's October 19, 2022 settlement specifically cited failures to make land disposal determinations and to conduct proper on-site management of hazardous waste at 1,160 UPS facilities [source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/ups-settles-epa-correct-alleged-hazardous-waste-violations-nationwide]. RCRA generator-status compliance governs accumulation time, container labeling, and the threshold at which a generator becomes subject to Large Quantity Generator standards. At parcel hubs, exposure pathways typically involve damaged-package leakage, mishandled returns of consumer hazardous products, and small-quantity accumulation of lithium battery and aerosol waste streams.

Pollutant 2 — Diesel particulate matter (DPM) and NOx from ground fleet and yard operations. UPS reports a 2035 target of a 50% reduction in CO2 per global small package against a 2020 baseline, alongside a 40% alternative-fuel target in ground operations by 2025, establishing fleet emissions as a material climate and air-quality vector for the company [source: https://about.ups.com/content/dam/upsstories/assets/social-impact/2021-esg-highlights-brochure/en_en_2021SustainabilityBrochure_V15.pdf.pdf]. Logistics hubs concentrate diesel truck idling, with documented environmental-justice implications along freight corridors comparable to those described in regional reporting on air-cargo and parcel hubs [source: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/05/15/fort-worth-fedex-hub-on-track-to-extend-permit-amid-environmental-concerns-outdated-zoning].

Pollutant 3 — Aircraft emissions (Jet-A combustion: NOx, CO, unburned hydrocarbons, ultrafine particulates). UPS targets 30% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by 2035, placing air-fleet combustion as a substantive emissions vector through at least the next decade [source: https://about.ups.com/content/dam/upsstories/assets/social-impact/2021-esg-highlights-brochure/en_en_2021SustainabilityBrochure_V15.pdf.pdf]. Communities near UPS Worldport in Louisville, Kentucky and other air gateways carry the ground-level exposure burden associated with night-cycle freighter operations. The PRI-listed shareholder proposal for the May 7, 2026 AGM directly cites community impacts and requests an environmental injustice evaluation [source: https://collaborate.unpri.org/group/36786/stream].

Within NAICS 492110 (general freight trucking, local), ECHO returns three corporate-naming variants tied to UPS rather than independent sector peers. The aggregated parent variant 'UNITED PARCEL SERVICE' carries 547 facilities, 190 trailing 24-month violations, and a derived $528,489,120 penalty total. The 'UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC (UPS)' variant carries 11 facilities, 8 violations, and $10,640,000. The 'UNITED PARCEL SERVICES' variant — the subject record's mirror — carries 10 facilities, 6 violations, and $6,424,160 [source: https://echo.epa.gov/files/echodownloads/echo_exporter.zip]. The peer set illustrates internal ECHO entity fragmentation rather than competitor benchmarking. The apparent six-violation count for the 10-facility cluster understates the aggregate enforcement footprint visible at the corporate-parent rollup.

UPS's 2025 Form 10-K Item 1A risk factors discussion, filed February 17, 2026, references the limitations on and risks associated with forward-looking statements and directs investors to monitor the company's investor relations website for material disclosures [source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1090727/000162828026008432/ups-20251231.htm]. Item 1 reports that UPS delivered 5.2 billion packages in 2025 — an average of 20.8 million per day — at total revenue of $88.7 billion. The company identifies healthcare cold chain, business-to-business, small-and-medium business, and international as strategic growth vectors, with completed acquisitions of Frigo-Trans and Andlauer Healthcare Group. That strategic orientation concentrates additional regulated waste streams — pharmaceutical cold chain, biomedical logistics — at UPS facilities, raising the prospective surface area for RCRA-regulated handling obligations going forward [source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1090727/000162828026008432/ups-20251231.htm].