The International Post Corporation (IPC) and postal administration alliance Kahala Posts Group have partnered to extend the IPC’s Sustainability Measurement and Management (SMMS) program across Asia and North America.
Following the endorsement of Kahala Posts Group (KPG) in 2022, a further five postal operators have joined a pilot of the SMMS program as of January 2023. The new entrants are the postal administrations of Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Thailand.
As part of the agreed pilot program, the five new members will report on two of the seven focus areas within the SMMS, which were developed in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate change and resource efficiency.
Each new participating post will be assessed through the qualitative (sustainability management proficiency) and quantitative elements (sustainability performance indicators) of the SMMS program. The first data set to be collected will be for 2022 and will be reported in 2023.
The IPC SMMS was launched in 2019 to address the sustainability objectives of the postal sector for the next 10 years, aligned with the UN SDGs. It provides a common sustainability measurement and reporting structure that enables participants to share their sustainability management strategies, performance and achievements. In 2022 the SMMS group collectively reported 34% of renewable electricity in buildings and 24% of alternative vehicles in its fleet. The participating posts also reported a 34% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared with a 2008 baseline. Since 2008, the group’s cumulative reduction in emissions now equals 25.7m tons of CO2.
Read more key sustainability updates from the parcel and postal technology industry here.