Net zero operations
49% of Royal Mail’s emissions are from domestic operations, including transport networks and buildings. Measures to reduce consumption and increase efficiency include:
- Moving to 100% renewable electricity across the business from 2022.
- Reducing the number of domestic flights and increasing the amount of mail moved by rail.
- Investing in self-generating renewables with Royal Mail’s largest solar panel installation going live at the new Midlands Parcel Hub in 2023 and looking at the potential for solar at over 200 sites across the country.
Our Steps to zero journey
How Royal Mail are delivering a sustainable future
We are committed to providing sustainable services for our customers and communities as we deliver against our environmental ambitions.
We are working hard to reduce the emissions of our operations. Building on our network of on-foot deliveries, we are also rolling out electric vehicles, and trialling vehicle and building technology such as renewable energy generation to help reduce our emissions even further.
We have also started the roll out of all-electric delivery offices, meaning all deliveries from these locations are zero emission. We are also using 100% renewable electricity across our estate.
We have the UK’s largest electric fleet of any major UK parcel operator, with almost 5,000 electric vans in service today.
We continue to trial other alternative fuel vehicles such as micro electric and hydrogen vehicles, as well as other delivery models – including delivery by drone!
Our 'Feet on the Street' network of over 90,000 postmen and women means that we are able to collect your parcel whilst we are out delivering, overall resulting in fewer emissions and less congestion from any additional journeys needed to post your parcel.
Unique to Royal Mail, approximately two thirds of our parcel deliveries are made purely by foot or through a park and loop method, combining low mileage van movements and on-foot delivery. You could say our deliveries are powered by posties!
Please take a look at our 2021-22 Environment, Social and Governance Report report.
We are working to implement the recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures, ensuring we have the right governance, risk management, strategy and metrics in place to address the impacts of climate change on our business.
We have identified five of the Goals that are particularly relevant to the priority areas for our business. We will focus on making progress against these Goals through our work in areas such as health, safety and wellbeing, our community programmes, our diversity and inclusion programmes and the implementation of our environmental strategy.