19/11/2013

An Post will reach 20% CO2 emissions reduction target ahead of schedule.

Five years into the global postal sector’s sustainability programme, An Post and postal operators worldwide have achieved a 19.4% reduction in CO2 emissions and are now only 0.6% shy of reaching their 2020 target of 20%.

The postal operators’ overall carbon management performance improved by 6% year-on-year from 70% to 76%, with a reduction of 435,000 tonnes or 5% of CO2 emissions compared to 2012.  This brings the total reduction of posts’ own CO2 emissions to 1,622,000 tonnes or 19.4% since the launch of the programme in 2008.

The 2013 International Post Corporation, (IPC) Postal Sector Sustainability Report, covering the business year 2012, continues to show impressive efforts by the participants in IPC’s sustainability programme.

Since the programme began in 2008 a 90% reduction in Carbon Management Proficiency (CMP) and a 20% carbon emissions reduction has been achieved. The postal sector now only need to save a further 50,000 tonnes CO2 in order to reach their 20% carbon reduction target.

The postal sector’s sustainability programme: IPC Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS), is based on participating posts sharing information and benchmarking their carbon management performance.  The programme aims to save CO2 emissions, to help posts make the right management decisions for a sustainable organisation and to motivate employees’ sustainable behaviour.

Donal Connell, Chief Executive, An Post said: “An Post is working with other posts worldwide to address climate change. The EMMS is an example of how our industry is doing more together to achieve the common goal of reducing our impact on the environment. We are delighted to contribute to the results reported this year. The exceptional efforts of our staff have brought us within striking distance of our goal: To reduce carbon emissions by 20% by 2020 compared to 2008, many years ahead of schedule”. 

The online version of the 2013 IPC Postal Sector Sustainability Report includes 18 best practice cases showing how postal operators have overcome particular regional challenges to maximise their environmental efforts.

The online report can be consulted at http://sustainability.ipc.be.

Worldwide focus on alternative fleet and renewable energy

• An Post hosted and placed 3rd in the 2013 IPC Driver Challenge, held in Mondello Park. Postal operatives from seven posts competed across a range of challenges including eco-driving skills, fuel economy, safety skills and customer service skills.  All An Post drivers receive advanced driver training which includes eco-driving and fuel economy modules.
• In 2013 alternative vehicles and renewable energy gained momentum within the postal sector. Alternative-fuel vehicles now account for 17% of the total postal fleet of the IPC EMMS participants, which includes over 516,000 vehicles. 
• Since the start of the programme in 2009, the number of alternative vehicles has increased from 56,000 to 90,000. This is the result of pro-active policies by posts to replace their fleet vehicles by alternative-fuel vehicles, such as electric vehicles, which today represent 18% of all alternative-fuel vehicles. 
• Combined, the original group has saved 324m litres of fuel as part of their efforts to collectively reduce CO2 emissions since the start of the programme. This is the result of structural investments by our members in sustainability, such as policies to modernise the fleet or to turn to green energy.
• Moreover, employee engagement has been essential to achieve considerable reductions through for instance eco-driving. The fuel consumption savings since 2008 represent a financial saving of €264m. 
• Another remarkable development is the trend of year-on-year improvements in the total percentage of green electricity (12%) as a proportion of total electricity consumption by participants in the IPC sustainability programme.

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