International Post Corporation Leads Industry Response to Carbon Emissions
(CSRwire) BELGIUM, – June 2, 2008 – The International Post Corporation (IPC) has launched an environmental measurement and monitoring system providing a common carbon measurement and reporting framework for the global postal industry.
The launch and formal adoption by IPC member postal operators including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK, took place at IPC’s Annual Conference 2008 in La Chapelle en Serval, France on 30 May.
The event was attended by CEOs from Europe, the Asia-Pacific and North America.
The system provides the postal industry with a transparent, scientific, sector specific carbon management and measurement system based on the requirements of international best practice standards, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, DJSI, FTSE4Good, ISO 14001, and current best practice from the corporate environment.
The system evaluates performance through the application of a scoring system that grades performance in ten carbon management proficiency areas and in key numeric carbon efficiency indicators.
The environmental measurement and monitoring system was also built on best practice as exemplified by customers of IPC members and is highly responsive to customer requirements and interests in measuring their own carbon footprint in their value chains.
“This is the first time that a supply industry has come together to address its impact on the environment.” said Herbert-Michael Zapf, CEO of IPC.
“The IPC Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System provides our members with a way of measuring and benchmarking their initiatives and optimizing their effectiveness. It can be used by all postal operators, regardless of size or what stage they are at in their environmental programs.”
The system will be piloted in 2008, with results from the first round of measurement expected to be announced in November 2009.
“By working together on this issue and sharing best practice, our members have shown their commitment to tackling their carbon emissions,” said Jean-Paul Bailly, chairman and CEO of Groupe La Poste in France and chairman of the IPC Board. “We hope that this initiative will be used as a model by other industries who want to take action to reduce their carbon footprint.”
* For more information on these and other IPC member post environmental and corporate sustainability initiatives already in progress, visit www.ipc.be and go to “About” and click on “Our Members.”
About the International Post Corporation
The International Post Corporation, (IPC) is the cooperative association of 24 member postal operators in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Over the past 17 years, IPC has collaborated with its members to upgrade quality of mail service by developing technology systems that bring transparency to the mail processing system and delivery chain. It also manages the system for incentive-based payments between postal operators, and creates business intelligence for its members, by providing a range of platforms for member CEOs and senior management to exchange best practices, discuss strategy, and engage in industry research.
Visit IPC’s website at www.ipc.be
About the Carbon Measurement System
The reporting system consists of a questionnaire which is based on:
The requirements of international best practice standards of:
• Dow Jones Sustainability Index
• FTSE4Good
• Carbon Disclosure Project
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG)Protocol
• Global Reporting initiative (G3) sustainability reporting guidelines
• ISO 14000
And current best practice from the corporate environment, including:
• Postal companies
• Logistics and transportation companies
• Leading-edge global businesses including customers
Once the answers are audited through a process that includes web review, checking of documents, interview and expert opinion, ten key management proficiency areas are scored with weightings assigned for answers, questions and proficiency areas that include:
• Principles
• Management and strategy
• Policy and procedure
• Employee engagement
• Activity
• Measurement and verification
• Targets
• Performance
• Disclosure – reporting
• Value chain management
In addition, the system requests detailed numeric information on carbon efficiency in order to populate sector indicators that will be used to track the performance of the sector over time.
Initiatives currently in place by IPC member posts:
* Royal Mail uses 100 percent renewable electrical energy, derived from wind, and methane from land fill. It introduced the first carbon neutral product in 2007, a parcel with a slight surcharge for offsetting the carbon footprint. In just three months, the environmentally-friendly product grew to forty percent of web-based parcel sales at Royal Mail. It’s latest initiative is the development of a carbon calculator to help its employees work out how many trees they need to plant to offset their personal, annual, carbon footprint
* In May 2007, USPS launched a major initiative that prevents the equivalent of more than 15,000 metric tons of climate change gases, based on the recycled content of 500 million packages and envelopes provided to customers each year. These environmentally-certified Express Mail and Priority Mail boxes and envelopes also are 100 percent recyclable. Through USPS recycling and waste prevention programs, more than one million tons of wastepaper, cardboard, cans, plastic and other materials are recycled each year. Since 2004, more than 2,300 tons of computers and parts have been recycled. USPS operates the world’s largest fleet of alternative fuel capable vehicles — more than 36,000 — that can use clean fuels such as ethanol, compressed natural gas, electricity and biodiesel.
* With more than 550,000 people in over 220 countries and territories, Deutsche Post World Net (DPWN) is the world’s largest logistics company. In accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, the company made a commitment to cut the greenhouse gas emissions of its road fleet in Europe by five percent below 1990 baseline levels by 2012. To reach that goal, DPWN is raising CO2 efficiencies in its operations by optimizing routes, training drivers and using renewable fuels. DPWN also offers customers an option to ship their parcels in a climate-neutral way. One point of focus will be the use of alternative power such as electricity, gas and hybrid engines.
* La Poste, France, has a goal of reducing its mail transport related CO2 emissions by 15 percent over the next four years. La Poste has made a significant investment in this area, including a conversion from traditional petroleum vehicles to electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles. La Poste also hosts a very successful driver training program for their delivery personnel. The training aims at reducing petrol consumption by at least five percent on average. The goal is to train 60,000 drivers by the end of 2009.
* TNT in the Netherlands launched an extensive program to address its carbon footprint in August 2007 called “Planet Me”. The program consists of three pillars: Count carbon – involving a measurement plan for all operations involving a certified managed system for measuring CO2; Code orange – a set of binding policies to govern corporate behaviour including “lead by example” and a push to modernize the fleet with green vehicles; and Choose orange – a pillar focused on innovation and challenging employees to adopt the program both at work and at home.
Initiatives currently in place by IPC member posts:
* Since 2005, Canada Post Corporation has invested CAD 3.5 million annually in energy conservation projects, including lighting retrofits and temperature controls to reduce consumption. It has removed ninety percent of its underground fuel tanks, eliminated 89 percent of ozone-depleting substances, and acquired sixteen hybrid vehicles. Plans are underway to refurbish its physical facilities and motorized fleet in a manner substantially more environmentally sensitive. The corporation will seek environmentally-friendly replacements for its fleet, focusing on hybrid vehicles.
* Swiss Post has invested CHF 135 million in the past ten years in more than 100 environmental protection initiatives, most of which, it says, have produced positive financial results. Between 2000 and 2005, the postal operator reduced its CO2 emissions by nine percent; it has pledged a further ten percent reduction within the next five years under the PostEurop climate protection program.
* Poste Italiane operates 27,500 motorcycles and 15,000 vehicles. In 2006, it ended replacing its fleet with vehicles meeting the most up-to-date pollution standards. Poste Italiane chose natural gas-fuelled vehicles as the most feasible possibility to employ less pollutant vehicles. In 2006 there were about 800 and in 2007 they increased further to 1,500. Also, since 2006, it launched several pilots on different alternative fuel vehicles, with special interest on serial-hybrid vans. Moreover, within IEE, Poste Italiane coordinates the Green Post Project in partnership with De Post and Magyar Posta. This project concerns the delivery in the historical centre of Perugia, by replacing the motorcycles currently used by postmen, with 55 hybrid and electrical quad tricycles granting high safety and stability. Poste Italiane already makes use of electricity from renewable sources and is strongly committed to increasing its employment and to investing in the application of energy saving to all its real estate. Poste Italiane’s employees are involved in an internal communication campaign on energy conservation.
* De Post/La Poste, Belgium has committed to reduce its energy consumption by 7.5 percent and its CO2 emissions by an average of ten percent by 2012. In 2007, they conducted a systematic analysis of energy consumption at all of its sites and they are employing new technology where feasible. For instance, they have applied solar film to the facade of its main Centre Monnaie office in Brussels rather than installing an energy-hungry cooling system.
Initiatives currently in place by IPC member posts:
* As a Finland’s largest transport company, Itella plays a major role in the development of pro-environmental logistics. The key goal of Itella’s environmental strategy is to reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions caused by the use of fossil traffic fuels. Methods of reducing fuel consumption include efficient route planning, combining transports, and training in ecological driving methods.
Alternative fuels tested in use include electricity, natural gas and biodiesel. Energy consumption, recycling and waste management will also be enhanced in buildings while new environment-friendly services are developed, for instance in electronic communications. Itella is working with other postal operators in a quest to reduce CO2 emissions by an average of ten percent over the next five years.
* Being a modern postal operator, Hellenic Post-ELTA has integrated CSR in their overall business policies in three areas: employees, society and environment.
Hellenic Post is working with other postal operators in a quest to reduce CO2 emissions by an average of ten percent over the next five years.
* Due to the positive experience gained with two natural gas powered vehicles, Austrian Post plans to purchase additional natural gas powered Volkswagen Caddies. The use of natural gas enables a fifteen percent reduction in CO2 emissions. In addition, the particle content of the waste gases and the emission of nitrogen oxide is cut by ninety percent. Postal routes are continuously streamlined in order to reduce mileage and CO2 emissions. A further potential for CO2 reduction lies in driver training schemes. The introduction of eco-friendly driving techniques lower fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions by three percent.
* Correos in Spain has pushed – in different stages – the marketing of ecological envelopes, boxes and packaging in all of their post offices, donating a part of the price of each one to the recovery of the forests. This promise has permitted them to offer a prime service of convenient and safe packaging for deliveries and to foster a habit of buying ecological postal products by the consumer.
To carry out reforestation action, Correos is partnering with the Trees of the Earth Foundation, an organisation of great prestige both nationally and internationally for its environmental research and reforestation work.
Since the program began a total of 349,000 m2 has been reforested with over 18,700 trees.
