On Green Postal Day, September 18, postal operators worldwide reported an annual reduction of 31 million tons in CO₂ emissions.
The 22 postal companies also reaffirmed their shared commitment to tackling climate change as a global, networked industry.
As major players in the transport and logistics sector, postal operators across Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Africa, and Southeast Asia have collaborated on sustainability for many years.
Since the partnership within the International Post Corporation (IPC) was launched in 2008, the postal companies have reduced their overall collective CO2 emissions by more than 31 million tons — the same as the annual CO2 savings from 31 million solar panels replacing fossil fuel power or taking 6.7 million cars off the road.
"Collaboration has been a cornerstone of the global postal industry for more than 150 years. Together, we have established common standards that allow letters and parcels to be exchanged seamlessly across borders. Sharing the same goal, postal operators from 22 countries have succeeded in reducing their annual CO2 emissions by one third," said Tobias Meyer, DHL Group CEO.
"As an industry, we have already achieved significant progress: much of the 'last mile' is now electrified, around 30% of the electricity used comes from renewable sources (as much as 95% at DHL), and ever more distribution centers are being built with ecological standards in mind."
Meyer noted that for the industry as a whole and for DHL Group in particular, the next decisive step is to advance the electrification of heavy-duty transport and to make aviation cleaner using modern fleets and sustainable aviation fuels.
Since 2008, postal companies - key players in the global transport and logistics sector - have been working together on sustainability through the introduction of the Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS), followed in 2019 by the Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS).
These postal operators have reduced their total annual CO2 emissions by one third and have pledged to cut emissions by 50% by 2030.
The sustainable use of resources has long been a priority for the postal sector in its efforts to minimize environmental impact.
The industry is focusing on two key areas: ensuring that postal facilities are increasingly run on renewable electricity, and progressively replacing its global fleet of 600,000 vehicles with alternative vehicles powered by cleaner fuels.
In addition, postal operators are working to cut CO2 emissions in the last mile by expanding the use of delivery vehicles with alternative drive systems.
Increasingly, the industry is also focusing on heavy goods transport, where decarbonization is critical to reducing environmental impact. Across the sector, more electric vans and trucks are being added to fleets, while alternative fuels are being tested for air freight. Postal companies are also optimizing truck loading and route planning to further shrink their environmental footprint.
Another key focus is reducing the 1.57 million metric tons of Scope 2 emissions produced annually by postal buildings.
The announcement noted that expanding the use of renewable energy will be essential to achieving the industry's 2030 climate targets.
Sustainability at DHL Group
DHL Group said it is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions from 40 million metric tons of CO2e (as of 2021) to less than 29 million by 2030, based on the Science-Based Targets initiative.
The plan involves a mix of steps, including a gradual shift to sustainable fuels like SAF for aircraft and biogas for CNG trucks, expanding the use of electric vehicles in delivery and road transport, adopting CO₂-neutral building designs, and offering products with lower emissions.
The company also made great strides last year: in 2024, the DHL Group used 74 kilotons of sustainable aviation fuel across its own fleet.
This corresponds to a blending ratio of 3.5% in its aircraft - the highest proportion across all airlines worldwide.
DHL said this year, the Group has increased the number of electric delivery vehicles to 35,000 in its German mail and parcel business alone, making it the largest e-fleet in Europe. 40,000 specially installed charging stations ensure that 95% of the electricity used for charging is green, and 450 CNG (biogas) trucks are used for road transport between parcel centers.
Photovoltaic systems, heat pumps, and building automation are also used at 160 newly built delivery depots, and 195 buildings are equipped with photovoltaics - with a technically available output of approximately 22 MWp.
Green Postal Day was established in 2019 by the CEOs of the postal companies participating in the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS).
The campaign focuses on the environmental and operational gains postal operators have made over the past decade by working together to cut CO₂ emissions. Participants include postal services from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.