Postal sector cuts carbon emissions by 35% compared to 2008 rates

Postal sector cuts carbon emissions by 35% compared to 2008 rates
22 / 09 / 2023
By Marwa Nassar - -

The postal sector has cut carbon emissions by 35 percent compared to the 2008 rates as postal companies published details of their progress in climate protection on the Green Postal Day which organized by the International Post Corporation (IPC) on September 21.

As key players in the transport and logistics sectors, postal companies have made significant capital expenditures to renew their fleets and deploy increasing numbers of vehicles with alternative drives. Between 2012 and 2022, postal operators more than doubled the share of these more environmentally friendly vehicles from 12% to 26%. At Deutsche Post, e-vehicles alone account for an even higher proportion of the German delivery fleet, at 41%. Furthermore, 38% of the electricity consumed by postal companies for their facilities in 2022 originated from renewable sources. In Germany this figure was 97%.

Electric vehicles now account for 20% of the postal fleet. Posts have also committed to have 50% of their overall fleet composed of electrical vehicles by 2030.

In 2022, posts involved in the postal sustainability program operated a fleet of around 639,000 vehicles. Reducing the environmental impact of this network is a priority for the postal sector.

Twenty-two posts worldwide are participating in the 5th edition of Green Postal Day, which coincides with Global Zero Emissions Day. Reducing the environmental impact of transportation and investing in alternative fuel vehicles are the key themes of this year’s edition.

Green Postal Day is a global campaign initiated by the CEOs of the postal operators that are participating in the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS) program, aiming to highlight the sustainability commitments made by postal organizations worldwide.

Holger Winklbauer, IPC CEO, said “This year a record number of posts are joining the Green Postal Day campaign, from Europe, America, Asia and Oceania, showing the importance of working together as an industry to meet ambitious sustainability targets”.

Decarbonizing long haul transport will be increasingly crucial to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. Technology piloted and refined for last mile is being gradually reconfigured to meet the different needs of long-haul operations.

Posts call for an acceleration in the roll out of alternative fuel options and charging facilities to support the development of viable low-emissions long haul transportation alternatives.

Furthermore, posts seek further innovation in alternative fuel options for air freight.

In Germany, Deutsche Post and DHL already deploy 13 e-trucks and 110 biogas trucks throughout the country on regional transport routes. By the end of 2023, there will be some 350 of these trucks. In addition, the Group has more than 25,000 electric transport vans in service for the delivery of letter mail and parcels, making it the company with the largest fleet of alternative drive vehicles in road transport by far nationwide.

Within the context of their sustainability program, Deutsche Post and DHL invested some EUR 700 million in electromobility and green infrastructure in 2022 alone – far more than the rest of the mail and parcel industry in Germany. The Group invested not just in its vehicle fleet, but also in the renovation and new construction of carbon-free delivery bases with photovoltaic systems, heat pumps and building automation.

Explains DHL Group CEO Tobias Meyer: “Green Postal Day impressively demonstrates how responsibly an industry can cooperate worldwide to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Parcel services in particular are an essential engine of global trade, economic growth and individual prosperity; however, they also have a major impact on the environment. That’s why it remains our common goal to make our letter mail and parcel services, vehicle fleets, infrastructure and international air freight even more sustainable. However, the political and regulatory framework within which postal companies operate must also enable further investment in sustainability.”

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