As a big organisation, we have a big impact on the environment. That means we can also make a big difference. We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint. And we’re encouraging you to do the same by helping you make your mailings sustainable.

Helping you to help your customers to recycle

We’re working with Recycle Now to help improve mail recycling information for senders and recipients, and to encourage greater recycling of mail.

Helping your customers to recycle mailings will reduce landfill. You can point people in the right direction by using a suitable recycling logo on your mailings: we recommend WRAP’s Recycle Now logo, which has high consumer awareness.

Setting an example

In 2006 we looked at the production processes for our own customer magazines to make every stage more environmentally-friendly. We were pleased to discover that making significant improvements was easier than originally expected. And once we had the new process in place, there was no impact on the look of the finished product, as you can read here:

Download our customer magazine case study (PDF 257KB)

Our CSR commitment

We have an extensive Corporate Social Responsibility programme covering many aspects of our business.

Our achievements

We are one of only 57 companies that have been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard. This certifies that we’ve genuinely reduced our carbon footprint and are committed to making further reductions every year.

Carbon management

We’ve implemented a Carbon Management Programme to identify ways to cut our CO2 emissions. We’re reducing the amount of energy consumed by our vehicles and buildings, as well as addressing the type and source of the energy we use.

Vehicles

Our target: reduce transport-related CO2 emissions by 20%.

We have 33,415 vehicles which travel a total of around 610 million miles each year, consuming approximately 140million litres of fuel. We’re constantly looking for ways to reduce the impact of this fleet. For example, between 2003 and 2008 the road transport element of our mail operation’s CO2 emissions reduced by 13.4%. During the same period, the CO2 emissions related to air and rail transports reduced by 11.5%.

We’ve installed special technology in around 8,000 vans and trucks to help us operate them more efficiently. This will potentially reduce our carbon output by 7,000 tonnes and save 2.5 million litres of diesel in 2009.

We’ve also invested in a fleet of more than 300 double-deck trailers. These can transport 50% more mail than conventional trucks and therefore cut down on mileage. We estimate that the first 50 double deck-trailers have reduced annual mileage by 1.98 million miles, saving 3,175 tonnes of CO2 each year.

Looking ahead, alternative fuels have a big part to play in reducing CO2 emissions. To date, we’ve trialled and evaluated a range of alternatives to petrol and diesel – including Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), hybrid and electric. We’ll keep you up to date with progress.

We’re also training our drivers to be more safety and environmentally conscious, to help reduce fuel consumption.

Find out more about our fuel and transport polices.

Waste

Our target: reduce the quantity of solid waste sent to landfill by 25% from our benchmark level of 48,074 tonnes.

We dispose of our waste in a responsible manner – in many cases, this is over and above the legal requirements. Find out how we’re minimising waste and disposing of it more effectively.

We’re also expanding our recycling capability. For example, we’ve invited specialists to advise us on waste segregation and recycling and we’re developing recycling ‘centres of excellence’.

Uniforms

Every year, we replace a huge number of uniforms and footwear. In an average year, this amounts to 40 tonnes of clothing and footwear. 99.7% of these are reused or recycled. Unbranded items are sent to third world countries for reuse, and others are recycled. Branded garments such as shirts are shredded into rags and reused in industry, for example as cleaning cloths or padding for vehicle interiors.

Water

Our target: reduce water consumption by 5% from our benchmark level of 2,166,066m3.

We’ve appointed a team of specialists to help us reduce water consumption across all our properties. All our toilet cisterns now feature reduced flush devices and 350 waterless urinals were installed in 28 buildings during 2008. Most of our premises are fitted with water meters to help us monitor and therefore reduce usage and rainwater harvesting is now a standard feature in new Mail Centres.

Employee engagement

We’ve developed an online carbon calculator so that each employee can calculate his or her personal carbon footprint. Then they can offset it through our Payroll Giving scheme.

The money raised is being given to the Woodland Trust. By 2013, we expect that at least 900 trees will have been planted because of donations made by our employees through this scheme.

Responsible procurement

We work with many different suppliers and are keen to be a good influence on their attitude to the environment. We encourage them to improve their environmental performance and recognise the importance of good corporate citizenship.

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