UPS (NYSE:UPS) has earned the top score in the consumer shipping sector of the annual "Climate Counts" scorecard and also was rated No. 11 among all 143 ranked companies.

UPS ranked No. 1 in the consumer shipping sector, leaping ahead of competitors Deutsche Post World Net/DHL, the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx.

Climate Counts ranks the world's largest companies based on 22 criteria that focus on measuring and reducing climate impact, corporate support of public policy initiatives on climate change and openness and transparency in reporting.

The Climate Counts ranking is just the latest in a long list of honors for environmental leadership received by UPS in recent months. Other recent honors include: Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index's "Top 50 Global Companies," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay Excellence Award, and Newsweek's Greenest Companies in America.

"Increasingly consumers are choosing to spend their money with companies that are environmental leaders. The Climate Counts scorecard helps consumers find those leaders," said Bob Stoffel, UPS senior vice president of supply chain, strategy, engineering and sustainability. "UPS's top ranking highlights the major strides we've taken to credibly report and minimize our environmental impact. For example, in 2009 we introduced several new green packaging and shipping services including the UPS carbon neutral program, the first such option available to offset the climate impact of shipping within the United States."