Due to the challenge of influencing carriers, Dave and David realized that the best way to change things was to band together with other like-minded companies to increase leverage. In September 2001, the Green Freight group was formed as part of the Business for Social Responsibility company network (BSR). Nike was instrumental in the genesis of Clean Cargo. The goal is to develop cost-effective environmental performance standards for truck and rail service providers to significantly decrease their impacts on air quality and climate change. Other companies in the Green Freight Group are Chiquita Brands/Great White Fleet, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, IBM, IKEA, Interface, Johnson & Johnson, Kinko’s, L.L. Bean, Lands’ End, Mattel, Mountain Equipment Co-op, New United Motor Manufacturing, Nordstrom, Norm Thompson Outfitters, Timberland, and Williams-Sonoma.

In February 2001, the Clean Cargo group was formed when Dave and David brought the BSR meeting to campus. The main goal of the group is to develop cost-effective environmental specifications for ocean transport providers in order to significantly improve air quality by reducing emissions and improving fuel/engine efficiency, and reduce the introduction of aquatic nuisance species by endorsing process standards for ballast water exchange and treatment. Other companies include Chiquita Brands, Del Monte Foods, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Home Depot, IKEA, LL Bean, Mattel, Nissan, New United Motor Manufacturing, Starbucks, and Williams-Sonoma. Together these companies are responsible for nearly 25% of the total U.S. containerized cargo shipped globally and can be expected to have a significant influence in international marine shipping transportation through their supply chains.