Coinciding with the second Green Postal Day, taking place today (Sept 18), CEOs of 15 posts worldwide have reiterated a commitment to further reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries , despite the increase in e-commerce brought on by Covid-19-related restrictions across the globe.
Holger Winklbauer, CEO of the IPC (International Post Corporation) highlights, “Over the years, with the increase of e-commerce and now with the Covid-19 crisis, the postal sector has once again demonstrated its flexibility and adaptability to economic and societal challenges. Ten years of working collectively toward our joint targets has demonstrated that the postal sector takes an important position in the fight against climate change and is exemplary for other industries.”
According to the IPC, thanks to a reduction of over 30% in their CO2 emissions in 2019, posts have overachieved their initial targets for 2020 by 50%. Electric vehicles now account for a 15% share of posts’ fleets, an increase of 10% over the last three years. Winklbauer said, “The share of alternative-fuel vehicles is one of the indicators monitored and reported by posts collectively for the past 10 years which they will continue to monitor through their new Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS).”
Furthermore, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, the IPC says posts have made considerable investment in developing low-carbon delivery solutions for the last-mile delivery of packets and parcels. Delivery in city centers and urban centers is increasingly carried out on foot, by a traditional or e-bike, or through non-emissive and shared delivery systems.
For longer distance delivery, the IPC notes that posts’ vehicle fleets are progressively being replaced by electrical or alternative fuel vans. Posts also have a long record of developing tailor-made electrical vehicles, taking into account the needs of postal workers delivering e-commerce items.
It is significant that the postal sector is one of the few industry sectors to have its own collective sustainability measurement and reporting program. For example, in 2019, posts launched the Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS), and extended their efforts to measure, report and learn from one another.