As key players in the transport and logistics sector, postal operators worldwide started to work together in 2008 by launching the Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS) and then in 2019 the Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS). Since the beginning of their cooperation, so far, posts have reduced their overall collective CO₂ emissions by more than 31 million tonnes¹. 

Holger Winklbauer, IPC CEO commented: “Since the launch of Green Postal Day, climate change has sometimes been overshadowed. Nevertheless, postal operators participating in the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS) have maintained their focus. They have reduced annual emissions by 40% compared to 20082 and remain committed to achieving a 50% reduction by 2030”. 

Furthermore, 32% of the postal fleet is now composed of alternative-fuel vehicles, of which 26% are electric² . Hence, posts have reached their 2030 target regarding the electrification of their fleet, five years ahead. About 36% of the electricity used in postal facilities is sourced from renewable energy³. 

The emissions savings made by the posts are equivalent to:

• The emissions saved by 31m solar panels a year⁴, generating enough energy for four million average European homes annually, or nearly 3.5% of the total annual electricity consumption of Germany⁵.
• Taking approximately 6.7 million average cars off the road for a year⁶ 
• The carbon emissions saved by 11,373 onshore wind turbines in one year⁷.

The sustainable use of resources has always been a key priority for the postal sector in order to reduce its environmental impact. The focus is both to ensure that electricity used in postal facilities is sourced from renewable energy and to progressively replace the 600,000 vehicle-postal fleet by alternative fuel vehicles. Through measuring performance in this area, posts are actively contributing to the aims of UN SDG 9 – ‘Industry, innovation and infrastructure.’ 

While posts first focused on reducing their CO₂ emissions of last-mile delivery by increasing the number of alternative delivery vehicles, postal attention is now shifting also to long-haul transport. Decarbonising long haul transport will be increasingly crucial to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. Posts are increasingly including electrical vans and trucks in their fleet. Alternative-fuel air freight is also increasingly piloted. Postal efforts also include a more efficient loading and road planning of trucks to reduce the environmental footprint. 

Posts aim to further reduce the 1.57 million tonnes of scope 2 emissions produced from buildings annually. Growing the share of renewable electricity will be crucial to meeting the postal 2030 targets in reducing the carbon intensity of postal operations. This will also include posts generating their own renewable electricity: Solar Energy is being adopted by some posts, and the rate of adoption is expected to increase in the coming years.