Posts collectively commit to ambitious sustainability targets by 2030

Brussels, 17 September 2021 – Posts worldwide celebrate today the third Green Postal Day. CEOs of 16 posts worldwide¹ reiterate their commitment to contribute to a more sustainable economy and society, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2020, posts pursued their efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions despite the disruptions and the increased volumes linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Collective yearly CO₂ emissions were reduced by 34%² in 2020 compared to 2008. 

Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC said: “Everyday posts are demonstrating the strength of working together as a sector to reduce carbon footprint. Building on their success, posts committed to even more ambitious targets for 2030. They are also aware that as postal operators advance further and further on that journey, achieving the objectives will require even more efforts.”

Posts commit to ambitious collective targets

Posts worldwide, through the IPC SMMS Programme³, commit to halve their yearly collective CO₂ emissions⁴ by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. To meet this goal, posts will focus mainly on emissions generated by buildings and transportation, which respectively account for 45 and 55% of their total emissions. By 2030, posts collectively aim to have 50% of their fleet as alternative fuel vehicles (against 22% in 2020), of which 25% of electric vehicles (against 16% in 2020) and 75% of their energy consumed, generated from renewable sources (against 33% in 2020). In line with their alignment with the UN Sustainability Development goals, postal commitment also goes beyond CO₂ emissions. By 2030, they collectively commit to having 50% of sold packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable. 

Today posts have achieved a reduction of their joint yearly emissions⁵ by 34%⁶, compared to 2008. In 2014, posts achieved their 20% reduction target, initially set for 2020. Since 2013, posts have collectively adopted the science-based target of reducing carbon emissions linked to packet and parcel delivery by 20% per item⁷. Thanks to their joint efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of delivery, posts are 16% away from their 2025 objective. 

As part of their engagement, posts commit to improving their Sustainability Management Proficiency Group Score by 38 points to 90 points in 2030⁸ with the results third-party validated by PwC. Sustainability Management Proficiency covers management initiatives based on four core management pillars: Strategy and Policy, Embedding, Measurement and Evaluation, and Reporting and Disclosure. Posts already made strong progress towards the target in 2020, increasing their group score by nine points compared to 2019, to 61% points.

Posts have been pioneers in implementing sustainability policies and actions, in their operations and in meeting expectations of stakeholders regarding sustainability. Global postal operators were one of the first sectors to launch their own sector system to monitor and measure their carbon footprint and to establish joint targets to reduce their emissions. 

Posts best placed to ensure sustainable last-mile delivery

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of e-commerce. Up to half of online cross-border shoppers⁹ would prefer the delivery of their parcels to be carbon neutral and would like the packaging material of their parcels to be sustainable. Stakeholders and regulators around the world are increasingly demanding businesses to take actions to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Resulting from the pandemic, consumers have bought more online and intend to continue doing so. Indeed, the global share of e-commerce as a percentage of total retail sales increased by 3.4% over the last year¹⁰. Thanks to their unrivalled nation-wide networks delivering to every home, posts provide the most sustainable option for delivering the substantial growth in e-commerce parcel volumes. 

Posts highlight challenges ahead

However, the lack of charging infrastructure for electric cars and of alternative-fuel options for large delivery trucks are seen as possible challenges for achieving those targets. Posts worldwide call for cooperation with partner industries and stakeholders to address those and speed up innovation. 

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. 

[1] An Post, Austrian Post, Australia Post, bpost, Correos, Posti, CTT Portugal Post, Deutsche Post DHL, Le Groupe La Poste, New Zealand Post, POST Luxembourg, Poste Italiane, PostNL, PostNord, Swiss Post, USPS.
[2] Baseline 2008
[3] IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System
[4] Scope 1, and 2
[5] Scope 1 and 2
[6] 2020 SMMS results
[7] Scope 1, 2 and 3
[8] The baseline is 2019.
[9] IPC Cross-Border E-Commerce Shopper Survey, January 2021
[10] Euromonitor International Data

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 190 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. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, IPC has positioned itself as a crucial coordination platform between posts worldwide and put in place operational solutions to ensure the continuity of cross-border mail flows. For more information, please visit our website.

For further information, please contact:
Eva Wouters, Communications manager, PR and media relations, International Post Corporation
+32 2 724 71 91/ [email protected]