Green Postal Day
Today, we celebrate the first ever Green Postal Day, an event which aims to highlight the benefits the postal industry has reaped by working together as a sector over the last 10 years to reduce carbon emissions.
Transport-related carbon emissions currently account for around 20% of global emissions. Ten years ago, postal operators launched a sector-wide programme to measure and reduce carbon emissions through the International Post Corporation (IPC).
The programme originally set two targets for 2020:
- To reduce combined carbon emissions from own emissions by 20% - this was achieved in 2014
- To achieve a score of at least 90% in carbon management proficiency – this was achieved in 2019.
To date, participating postal companies have collectively reached a reduction of almost 30% of their carbon emissions.
At Royal Mail we have reduced our carbon emissions by 29% from our baseline year of 2004/05, and successfully passed the IPC’s target of 90% in carbon management proficiency.
To meet future challenges, postal operators have 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 via social media of measures they have taken to reduce their footprints. Follow the Green Postal Day via www.ipc.be/GreenPostalDay or using the hashtag #GreenPostalDay.
