Clean kilometres
On average, we transport mail, parcels and goods over 1.2 million kilometres across the Benelux daily. In addition to optimising our network efficiency, each year we increase the share of renewable fuels we use and grow the number of owned and leased e-vehicles in our fleet. During Green Postal Day in September, PostNL and 22 other postal operators from around the world highlighted the need to accelerate the roll-out of alternative fuel options and loading facilities to further develop long-distance transport. PostNL reiterated its commitment that by 2030 at least 50% of its transport will run on sustainable alternative fuels or be electrified, while providing emission-free last-mile delivery in the Benelux. This means switching to cleaner transport, such as electric vehicles (vans, LEFVs and e-scooters) and renewable (HVO100) diesel, for our inter sorting-centre transport and last-mile parcel delivery. Longer term, our goal is to become net zero by 2050.
Transitioning towards cleaner ways of transportation
While the vast majority of our last-mile mail delivery is done predominantly on foot or by bike, to truly reduce our own environmental footprint we need to increase the number of clean kilometres we drive and travel. In our efforts to increase our clean kilometres, we try to find the most suitable transportation method.
One example is our ongoing focus on switching from road to rail for international routes. In 2023, we began shipping post and parcels on a truck-train route to Italy, which enables us to cut our scope 3 CO₂ emissions along the route by 65% annually. This follows our reintroduction of rail transportation after a 25-year break in 2022, when we began sending a weekly container from the Netherlands to Oslo, Norway. This continued in 2023, helping us cut scope 3 CO₂ emissions on the route by 70% annually versus plane or truck transport, which equates to around 30 tons of CO₂.
Electrification of our vehicles
We want to achieve emission-free delivery, which is why we are determined to electrify our fleet, from vans to trucks. We currently deliver letters and letterbox parcels emission-free to 96% of residential addresses in the Netherlands. To enhance the sustainability of our delivery services nationwide, in 2023 we incorporated 162 electric vans into our postal network and replaced the last remaining petrol scooters with electric ones. This enabled us to reduce our fuel consumption, leading to a decrease in CO2 emissions of 34 tons. At Parcels, we added over 350 electric vans, while we grew our time-critical delivery fleet by 30 electric vans. The electric vehicles in our fleet, such as electric trucks and LEFVs, are distinguished by a green leaf symbol to signify their eco-friendly status.
Simultaneously, we installed more charging stations at our facilities, bringing the total count at year end close to 900. While we continue to make progress, we foresee future bottlenecks, as grid operators are increasingly denying permission to expand connections in depots and other buildings because of growing congestion on the electricity grid. This could make our transition to emission-free delivery more complex.
Zero-emission zones
Over the past few years, we have made significant progress in shifting our fleet from diesel vans to electric vans, and by the end of 2023 used 650 electric vans for last-mile parcel delivery. This shift is crucial to achieving emission-free last-mile delivery in the 27 Dutch cities that have announced a zero-emission zone in their centres by 2025. However, we still have work to do. By the end of 2023, we were carrying out 13% of the planned routes in the zero-emission zones emission-free, below our internal goal.
One way we are working to improve this figure, while effectively reducing our scope 3 emissions, is to accelerate our collaboration with delivery partners. For example, we are running a programme that supports delivery partners in their shift to electric vehicles, providing consultancy services, procurement facilities, and compensation for additional costs. This has helped grow the number of electric vans delivery partners in the Netherlands operate to 102, with another 136 on order. In Belgium, the first 16 electric vans are now operating in and around the city of Mechelen, with another 58 vans on order.
For our own vehicle fleet, we are focusing on the switch to electric driving. For example, we have equipped depots with a dashboard that provides insights into the usage of their electric fleet. Additionally, we are using data-driven intelligence to optimise our charging stations (see story box in this chapter for more information).
City-friendly delivery in inner cities
We deliver to every street in the Netherlands. But as urban congestion increases, we have expanded our focus from emission-free delivery to include minimising disruption. One example is increasing the use of light electric freight vehicles (LEFVs), which in 2023 we began using in Den Bosch and Amersfoort in the Netherlands and Ghent in Belgium, bringing the number of cities in which we operate LEFVs to seven.
As well as being emission-free and quiet, LEFVs are also narrow and manoeuvrable, resulting in reduced congestion compared to vans. They also use less electricity than electric vans, and can carry up to three roll containers that can be smart-packed at the sorting centre and loaded directly onto the vehicle at the city hub. We aim to continue introducing LEFVs at other cities across the Netherlands and Belgium. We also began using electric cargo bicycles on a number of routes in Ghent.
Transitioning towards renewable fuels
We are piloting a route from the Netherlands to Denmark that uses renewable (HVO100) diesel, which will cut CO₂ emissions along the route by 90% during its life cycle compared to fossil diesel. If the pilot proves successful, we will start using HV0100 fuel for all mail and parcel deliveries to Denmark, which we calculate will result in a 36% CO₂ reduction door to door. As part of our focus on reducing our CO₂ emissions and realising last-mile, emission-free delivery across the Benelux by 2030, we have held discussions with truck manufacturers and producers about the possibility of developing fleet vehicles that run on hydrogen, a clean fuel that releases water (vapour) only when burned, and which can be made from water and (sustainable) electricity. We will provide any progress updates in our 2024 Annual Report.