20-09-2019
Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC said: “To fulfil their mission, postal operators rely on huge fleets and building networks throughout their respective markets, thereby contributing to the sustainability problem. But they have also shown that they are part of the solution by successfully collaborating to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. These efforts should be more visible to and followed by other sectors. This is why postal operators have decided to make their voice heard on the same day throughout the world and set an example for many other sectors around different industries”.
Transport-related carbon emissions account for around 20% of global emissions. Ten years ago, postal operators were among the first to launch a sector-wide programme to measure and reduce CO2 emissions through International Post Corporation’s (IPC) Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS). As key players in e-commerce and logistics, they will continue to play a frontrunning role in sustainability, and further expand their efforts to battle global warming.
Patricia Espinosa, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary said: “The postal sector has shown great leadership by adopting a common approach to reduce their carbon footprint. Not only have the posts achieved their targets well ahead of schedule, but now they are taking it a step further by aligning their objectives to UN Sustainable Development Goals. We are convinced that this is the right way to go and we urge other sectors to follow this example”.
Peter Bakker, President and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), declared: “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is beyond the reach of any single company. These Goals call for coordinated efforts and a collective approach from industry sectors. The postal sector has made a great first step by developing a collective structure and a common sustainability programme. We look forward to seeing that leadership of the postal sector again in the transition to a zero emissions world.”
IPC’s Postal Sector Sustainability programme is a sector-wide initiative to tackle the impact of global climate change via a collective approach to reduce carbon emissions.
The programme originally set two targets for 2020:
- To reduce combined carbon emissions from own emissions by 20%, which was achieved in 2014.
- To achieve a score of at least 90% in carbon management proficiency, achieved in 2019.
Postal operators participating in the EMMS programme have not rested on their laurels and have continued their efforts, reaching a reduction of almost 30% of their collective CO2 emissions. The Postal Sector Sustainability programme results are third-party audited by PwC and the collective results have been published each year since 2009.
Postal operators call on leaders from other industries to also join forces at sector level and to adopt a common sector monitoring and measuring system. As shows the example of postal operators, working together as a sector allows to exchange best practices and stimulate individual companies to move beyond individual objectives. Using a common measuring system also favours transparency. Postal operators are offering to cooperate and share best practice with other industries.
The postal approach is based on a ‘Plan, Act, Do, Check’ approach, the EMMS programme was developed to stimulate continuous improvement – through data collection, analysis, reporting, but also through feedback mechanisms and best practice sharing. The collaborative nature of the programme has enabled the group to improve its carbon management over the last ten years and to have a bigger impact. The programme provides a common carbon management and reporting structure. The programme contains both a qualitative section, measuring the carbon proficiency of the participating posts, and a quantitative section, measuring the carbon emissions reductions.
To meet future challenges, postal operators have now aligned their sustainability programme with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on health and safety, learning and development, air quality, climate change, resource efficiency, circular economy and sustainable procurement.
Throughout the day, postal operators participating in the Green Postal Day campaign will share examples of concrete initiatives and measures they have taken to reduce their footprint. Through video messages, CEOs will explain why they decided to launch this campaign. Follow the Green Postal Day through www.ipc.be/GreenPostalDay or on social networks through the hashtag #GreenPostalDay.
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About International Post Corporation
International Post Corporation (IPC) is the leading service provider of the global postal industry that provides leadership by driving service quality, interoperability and business-critical intelligence to support posts in defending existing business and expanding into new growth areas. It is a cooperative association of 25 member postal operators in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. IPC’s solutions and services are used by over 180 posts worldwide. Since 1989 IPC has set standards for upgrading quality and service performance and developed technological solutions that help members enhance service for international letters, packets and parcels. IPC engages in industry research, creates business-critical intelligence, provides a range of platforms and programmes for member post CEOs and senior management to exchange best practices and discuss strategy. IPC also manages the system for incentive-based payments between postal operators.
For further information, please contact:
Eva Wouters, Communications manager, PR and media relations, International Post Corporation
+32 2 724 71 91/ [email protected]