Chief executive officers from 12 postal operators have launched the first Green Postal Day to highlight the benefits the postal industry has reaped by working together as a sector over the past 10 years to reduce CO2 emissions.
According to the International Post Corporation (IPC) , transport-related carbon emissions account for around 20% of global emissions, and 10 years ago postal operators were among the first to launch a sector-wide program to measure and reduce CO2 emissions through IPC’s Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS).
Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC said, “To fulfill 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”.
Patricia Espinosa, UN climate change executive secretary, added, “The postal sector has shown great leadership by adopting a common approach to reduce its 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.”
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.