Making the leap to greener deliveries | Royal Mail
Find out more on 0800 177 7824†
Our 80,000 posties walk, skip or dance up to a billion steps every day, because on foot is the lower emission way to deliver.
Sustainable choices are at the forefront of our business, which is why we’re the greenest delivery company for parcels and letters in the UK.1
1 Based on average gCO2e emissions per parcel delivered by UK parcel operators, as published by Citizens Advice 2024 Parcels League Table.
Find out more on 0800 177 7824†
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Make it easy for your customers to choose the lowest emission deliveries.
The last steps your product takes are ours. And they’re lighter than ever.
Our emissions per parcel are 165gCO2e, which is the lowest of any CO2 per parcel reported in our industry.1 Our posties are one of the reasons why emissions are so much lower. More than half of our delivery routes are made purely on foot (or through our ‘park and loop’ method which is also largely on foot).
By using Royal Mail, you’ll benefit from low emission returns too.
With Parcel Collect, our posties can pick up Royal Mail Tracked Returns® parcels at the same time as they deliver along their usual route.
This prevents additional journeys, meaning fewer emissions and less congestion! And to save on paper we can bring the returns label along, so you don’t have to send one out with every order.
Don’t offset your emissions, reduce them
53% of online shoppers would be more likely to shop with a retailer that has a clear commitment to sustainability.2
We’ll help you reduce your delivery footprint, making your online business more attractive to today’s eco-conscious shoppers.
We’re committed to Net-Zero by 2040. On foot deliveries play a big part; here’s what else we’re doing:
Reducing the use of domestic air freight and ferry and increasing our use of road. As of April 2025, we’ve halved the number of domestic air-mail flights we operate.
We purchase or generate 100% renewable electricity across our entire estate.
We have the largest electric van delivery fleet in the UK with over 7,000 vehicles’ and remove (making up more than 10% of our total fleet)
Zero-emission and low-emission technologies for linehaul trucks are developing rapidly and we remain committed to working with manufacturers to co-design, trial and test this technology.
We expanded the use of renewable diesel alternatives, using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) for our HGVs, with over 27 million litres being deployed in 2024-25, resulting in over 44,000 tCO2e emission savings.
Embracing circularity through enabling re-use models and reducing single use items.
We’ve reduced our waste by 24% and are recycling, reusing or diverting 97% of the remaining waste.3
Championing sustainability and driving industry change, including lobbying policymakers about the urgent need for more electric vehicle adoption and charging infrastructure.
Calling for industry-wide, standardised reporting on gCO2e so customers can make informed decisions about their carbon footprints.
