Introduction 

The postal sector is significant in its role as a contributor to urban air quality issues. Simultaneously, operators must meet the needs of ever-growing e-commerce demand, which spiked significantly in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to remain higher in the long term. Levels of air pollution in cities can sometimes reach toxic levels, hence a rapidly changing regulatory environment. In this climate, it is therefore crucial that we address our contribution to healthy urban spaces.

‘Emissions to air’ in the context of our programme refers to NOX, SOX, and particulate matter, and excludes carbon dioxide. ‘Air quality’ and ‘air pollution’ refer to the impact of these emissions specifically. By addressing air quality separately to climate change and resource efficiency, we are emphasising the consequences of our operations on human health, as well as on the environment. 

Through measuring performance in this area, IPC members are actively contributing to the aims of UN SDG 11 – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. In an internal IPC survey in 2018, SMMS participants identified target 11.6, ‘reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management’, as a priority for the postal sector. Given the importance of these issues to our industry, we have separated out air quality from waste management, which is addressed in the Circular Economy Focus Area.

Emerging trends

This is an area of intense innovation, given the critical levels of air pollution in some of our cities, and the ever pressing need to improve efficiencies in last mile delivery. 

• Lower emissions vehicles – one of the most popular and obvious solutions is continued investment in alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). The SMMS group operates an impressive fleet of AFVs, and the expected 25-30% growth in the global electric vehicle market within the next decade will continue to play a crucial role in improving urban air quality. Read more about it in the Resource Efficiency section. 
• Incentivisation of cycling and walking – a range of initiatives and investments such as Cycle to Work schemes and safety awareness trainings has allowed our participants to demonstrate their commitment to encouraging cycling and walking both in their operations and in their employees’ commute.
• City hubs – often tested on a small scale first, such as in a single neighbourhood, city hubs operate as more efficient urban delivery services. Lower emissions vehicles are often used as part of these initiatives, and we expect to see their adoption more widely in years to come. 
• Collaboration – sharing space and time will be crucial to reducing the impact on urban air quality while meeting consumer needs. This will in many cities require public-private sector partnership. However, given this is such a fast-moving issue, it is envisaged that cities will also be able to learn from each other, as solutions are developed.  

Results

• The group scored 57.1% in the Air Quality in the Sustainability Management Proficiency (SMP) questionnaire. 
• Participants scored best in questions related to Measurement and Evaluation. This reflects posts’ efforts to improve data quality and monitor their rate of progression against KPIs, which is key to informing strategic and operational decision-making and ultimately reducing negative impacts.
• The group score improved the most in Disclosure and Reporting increasing by just under six percentage points, demonstrating the group’s commitment to communicating their management of Air Quality within their organisations. We expect stronger Strategy and Policy as well as Embedding scores in the future as new KPIs are developed based on strong data collection and public feedback.  
• Quantitative metrics are not reported for Air Quality this year, however some SMMS participants do report individually on their organisation’s air quality performance as part of their corporate reporting. As we improve the coverage of data collection, we expect to report on this area collectively in future years. 
  
   
   

Highlights of the group’s performance in 2023 include:

• 25 posts place a strategic focus on the use of alternative fuel vehicles as part of their efforts to improve Air Quality 
• 17 posts have identified and assessed the risks, and 16 the opportunities, relating to air quality and/or air pollution prevention 
• 24 posts operate smart city solutions, or initiatives involving cooperation and development with other stakeholders to improve urban air quality
• 13 participants have a policy in place related to air quality and/or pollution that includes a commitment to performance improvement. 
  
   

IPC encourages posts to develop management of their contribution to air quality, such as participating in initiatives with government and NGOs that aim to improve air quality, particularly in urban areas, and developing policies that include explicit frameworks for achieving objectives, in line with global best practice.