The global postal industry cut its CO2 emissions by more than 500,000 tons in 2009, compared to 2008, after the first year of the postal industry's efforts to reduce its environmental impact, under the International Post Corporation's (IPC) Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS), according to the group's Postal Sector Sustainability Report 2010.
This means the industry is one third of the way to meeting its 2020 target to reduce carbon emissions by 20 percent, based on 2008 levels.
IPC, a cooperative association of 24 member postal operators in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, launched the EMMS program last year at the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen, Denmark.
During the first year of reporting, nearly all of the 20 participating postal operators improved their carbon management scores on 2008, collectively reducing CO2 emissions by 597,000 tons. In 2009, these postal operators collectively emitted 8.63 million tons of CO2.
The 20 postal operators, which took part in the EMMS report this year, manage over 100,000 facilities and 600,000 transport vehicles and represent more than 80 percent of global mail volumes. These include An Post, Ireland; Australia Post; Canada Post; Correios de Portugal; Correos y Telegrafos, Spain; Deutsche Post, Germany; Groupe La Poste, France; Hellenic Post, Greece; Itella Post, Finland; La Poste/De Post, Belgium; Magyar Posta, Hungary; New Zealand Post; Norway Post; Posten Norden AB, Denmark and Sweden; Postes et Telecommunications Luxembourg; Royal Mail, United Kingdom; Swiss Post; TNT, The Netherlands; and the United States Postal Service.
This year Österreichische Post (Austrian Post) and Poste Italiane said they would participate in the EMMS program, bringing the total number of reporting posts to 22. Both will report on their emissions for the 2011 report.
