Australia Post has launched its very first Environmental Action Plan as part a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 25% by 2020 and save A$10m (US$7.7m) each year through environmentally sustainable programs.
With a delivery network spanning 11.7 million addresses and a fleet of more than 16,000 vehicles, Australia Post created the Environmental Action Plan to shape ongoing operations providing long-term sustainability.
Janelle Hopkins, chief financial officer, Australia Post, said, “That saving of A$10m (US$7.7m) every year enables Australia Post to invest more in improving and creating services our customers want to use. Since 2000 we have reduced our carbon emissions by 20%, which is significant given domestic parcel volumes are continuing to grow, and more than two million parcels were delivered in a single day during Christmas last year.
“In the last eight years, we have been working to aggressively reduce our carbon footprint, even going beyond our own sites to account for our third-party supply chain. Our first ever Environmental Action Plan is a step toward continuing to reduce carbon emissions and achieve our target of a 25% reduction by 2020.”
Australia Post installed the country’s largest single-roof solar panel system late last year at the Sydney Parcels Facility, saving the company A$800,000 (US$616,000) annually within its 48-site solar energy program.
“We are seeing immediate returns as we unlock renewable energy at some of our busiest sites, which helps to insulate the business against rising energy prices,” added Hopkins.
“But we’re also looking at how we can leverage our existing network to support communities. Our partnerships with groups like TerraCycle, Planet Ark and Mobile Muster has seen us remove 26,000 tons of material from landfill.
“We also helped develop the world-first Nespresso recycling satchel to send used coffee pods to a purpose-built recycling center, and our own satchel packaging is now completely recyclable.”