4.6 Air quality
Developments in air quality are directly related to the type of vehicles we use. This is why the explanation of trends in the 'Air pollution from own fleet' table is combined with the explanation in the 'Compliance with Euro emission norms' table. The emission calculations are based on general factors of maximum allowed emissions per type of Euro norm and are not specified further. As we do not have further information on underlying drivers to steer on, we do not set targets for these metrics.
PostNL Compliance with Euro emission norms share per euro norm
2019 - 2023
| Year ended at 31 December | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large trucks | |||||
| Vehicles complying with Euro Z | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 1% |
| Vehicles complying with Euro 6 | 69% | 81% | 86% | 84% | 98% |
| Vehicles complying with Euro 5 | 31% | 19% | 14% | 14% | 1% |
| Small trucks and vans | |||||
| Vehicles complying with Euro Z | 0% | 0% | 0% | 13% | 37% |
| Vehicles complying with Euro 6 | 81% | 85% | 97% | 87% | 63% |
| Vehicles complying with Euro 5 | 19% | 15% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Total | |||||
| Vehicles complying with Euro Z | 0% | 0% | 0% | 11% | 32% |
| Vehicles complying with Euro 6 | 80% | 84% | 95% | 86% | 68% |
| Vehicles complying with Euro 5 | 20% | 16% | 5% | 2% | 0% |
The scale-up of our electric fleet will help us reduce our absolute air polluting emissions, which is one of the elements covered in our initiatives to drive a sustainable future. As we make progress on becoming emission-free in our parcel and mail delivery by 2030 in the Benelux, we will also significantly reduce our air polluting emissions, particularly from our small truck fleet and the fleet of our delivery partners. Scaling up our transition to increase the share of electric vehicles in our fleet requires a combination of sufficient availability of suitable vehicles in the market, and adjusting both infrastructure and logistics in the years to come.
PostNL Air pollution from own fleet as indicated
2019 - 2023
| Year ended at 31 December | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOx emissions (in kg) | |||||
| Large trucks | 30,165 | 34,294 | 32,284 | 31,399 | 25,757 |
| Small trucks and vans | 9,117 | 8,908 | 7,682 | 6,876 | 5,083 |
| Total NOx emissions | 39,282 | 43,202 | 39,966 | 38,275 | 30,839 |
| NOx efficiency (g/km) | |||||
| Large trucks | 0.83 | 0.76 | 0.63 | 0.59 | 0.49 |
| Small trucks and vans | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.14 | 0.13 | 0.10 |
| Total NOx efficiency | 0.42 | 0.42 | 0.37 | 0.36 | 0.29 |
| PM10 emissions (in kg) | |||||
| Large trucks | 443 | 529 | 562 | 567 | 526 |
| Small trucks and vans | 291 | 296 | 277 | 273 | 205 |
| Total PM10 emissions | 734 | 825 | 839 | 840 | 731 |
| PM10 efficiency (g/km) | |||||
| Large trucks | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Small trucks and vans | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Total PM10 efficiency | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
Compared to 2022, we increased the share of electric trucks in our own fleet by 21%. To date, we almost entirely phased out vehicles with an Euro norm classification below Euro 6. The transition towards an electric fleet, will help further reducing our air polluting emissions. Previously we reported the tailpipe emissions based on Euronorm 4, 5 and 6, excluding our electric vehicles. But as this becomes a more significant part of our fleet, and the kilometres driven, we added the Euro Z norm (zero emission). We have revised the calculated emissions for 2022, including the zero emission vehicles.
The decrease in NOx emissions and PM10 emissions reflect the improvement in efficiency due to more kilometres driven with Euro 6 and Euro Z small and large trucks. A mix of more efficient vehicles and fewer kilometres driven resulted in a decrease in total relative NOx emissions in grammes per kilometre by 0.07, as well as a decrease in relative PM10 emissions.
The scope of our NOx and PM10 emissions we report on includes the fleet of our own operations. Due to the lack of data, we are not yet able to report on the air pollution metrics for outsourced transport. In addition, we are currently only able to report the emissions from the internal combustion engine. Due to the lack of generally accepted reporting standards and methods, we do not report the emissions for braking and tire wear.