This adds to its ambitious goals to significantly reduce total emissions. PostNL is fully committed to making its buildings sustainable, creating a more efficient network and coming up with green products and services, in addition to its commitment to clean kilometres through electrification. PostNL is accelerating its commitment by spending € 80 million in the 2022-24 period on making its business operations more sustainable.

Currently, about 20% of all parcels and letters are delivered with zero emissions in the last mile. In Mail, this is even 90% as a result of the delivery on foot and bicycle. Post and parcel sorting is fully sustainable: around 50% of all electricity powering parcel sorting centres is derived from 25,000 solar panels. Remaining energy needs are met by renewable power purchases.

CEO Herna Verhagen said: ”As a major logistics company, we want and are able to make a key contribution to achieving domestic and global sustainability goals. Customers and consumers can expect PostNL, as their favourite deliverer in the Benelux region, to lead on this issue and we’ve already achieved a great deal in making our activities sustainable. To meet our targets, we’re stepping up our investment and are engaging closely with our partners, suppliers, our sector and with governments. We’re determined to strengthen our position at the vanguard of sustainability in the logistics sector.”

Renewable fuels

More and more of PostNL’s delivery kilometres are driven on renewable fuels. This summer, the transition to renewable diesel (HVO100) and biogas got under way, with over 300 vans and more than 100 trucks now running on HVO100. Another 100 trucks are partially fuelled by Bio-LNG, taking to around 30% the total of PostNL’s large transport vehicles running on alternative power – a figure that should rise to 90% by 2030.

Net zero delivery by 2022

To achieve its sustainability goals, PostNL is working closely with partners including the logistics sector and network suppliers on much-needed further developments in infrastructure and alternative fuels, one obvious issue being adequate charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EV). Until its fleet is fully electrified, PostNL is offsetting any remaining carbon emissions from its own transport and that of its delivery partners, cutting its footprint to net zero.

Replacing diesel-powered vehicles with electric ones is making the biggest contribution to last-mile carbon reduction. PostNL already has around 1,300 electric vehicles in place, large and small. This will increase considerably over the next few years. Furthermore, cutting kilometres by combining new deliveries and returns is chipping in a further part of the contribution, next to introducing green products and further reducing the air in packaging.

Accelerating commitment

PostNL expects to put a total of € 80 million into sustainability-related capital and operational spending for sustainability, including the replacement of diesel with alternative fuels, transport electrification, EV charging infrastructure and solar panels. This amount is fully included in the financial outlook presented on 9 August 2021.

Briefing on sustainability for analysts and investors

Today, PostNL is briefing analysts and investors on sustainability at 2.00 pm and may be watched here. In the online briefing, CEO Herna Verhagen and a number of energy and sustainability experts will discuss the sustainable steps PostNL has taken and will take.

Source: PostNL