Sustainable buildings and facilities

Our buildings and facilities are an important part of our ongoing focus on reducing our environmental footprint. We have significantly reduced the environmental impact of our buildings and facilities in recent years, and have achieved the satisfying position of all buildings being 100% emission-free. This was attained by installing solar panels on the roofs of our buildings, making a series of energy-efficiency improvements and sourcing only renewable energy.

Our new parcel sorting centre in Westzaan was built to score the highest possible BREEAM certification, "Outstanding", which means this building complies with the highest possible sustainability standards. The building does not use gas, and roof-installed solar panels will generate more than half of the electricity required to sort the parcels. We also invested in sustainable materials and installations, including heat recovery systems and LED lighting.

In addition to the buildings itself, we are also optimising the environmental performance of our activities within our sorting centres. This includes, for example, avoiding using lights whenever they are not needed. We are also reducing the waste from our processes. In 2021, we introduced new reusable bags to store smaller items in roll containers, which reduces the amount of sealing plastic we use and cuts waste.