1.2 Interests and views of stakeholders
As a listed company with a long and proud history in the Netherlands, we have an intricate stakeholder landscape. We engage with our internal and external stakeholders in different ways, on different levels and on different topics to better understand their interests and the way our activities affect their decision-making process. This helps us understand which topics are most material and are of greatest significance to our stakeholders as well as allocate resources effectively on relevant topics while focusing on adding short-, medium-, and long-term value. In addition to our day-to-day contact with stakeholders, PostNL also engages through regular and topic-specific stakeholder dialogue to understand our stakeholders' insights, priorities and expectations. These discussions provide valuable input and help us decide what topics we need to focus on and how to make a positive difference. At PostNL, our key affected stakeholders are our customers, consumers and end-users, our people, and our business partners and workers in the value chain. We prioritise their needs and interests, and hence provide additional information on these stakeholder clusters and our stakeholder engagement. For more information on our diverse stakeholder groups and engagement, we refer to the stakeholder engagement table.
Customers, consumers and end-users
We interact with millions of consumers and end-users through our physical and digital services. Their feedback — collected via Net Promoter Score (NPS), app usage, and service channels — directly informs our customer strategy. We use operational data to link consumer experience with delivery performance, driving improvements in accessibility, privacy, and service quality. Clear communication channels and complaints mechanisms are in place to ensure accessibility and responsiveness. More detail on engagement and remediation of customers, consumers and end-users is included in the Our governance section of the social disclosures.
Our people
Our own workforce includes employees directly employed by PostNL and non-employees such as self-employed workers and temporary staff engaged through external contracts. We engage this group through employee surveys, works councils, and ESG dialogues. Works councils play a formal role in decision-making, and feedback from our Employee Engagement Monitor informs HR strategy. Material risks such as health and safety and working time are inherent to the operational model, while opportunities in inclusion and skills development support long-term competitiveness. PostNL actively addresses systemic risks such as long working hours, safety incidents, and workplace misconduct through targeted policies, training, and monitoring. Remediation processes are in place for affected individuals. More detail on engagement and remediation of our own workforce is included in the Our governance section of the social disclosures.
Business partners and workers in the value chain
This group includes delivery partners, suppliers, and contractors who provide services under agreements with PostNL. We engage them through supplier sounding boards, contract dialogues, and third-party risk management processes. These interactions help us identify human rights risks, improve collaboration, and strengthen ethical practices across our supply chain. Marginalised groups are considered in our impact assessments, and grievance mechanisms are available to raise concerns. Engagement programmes cover the full supply chain and include local stakeholder assessments, capacity-building efforts, and tracking of grievances. More detail on engagement and remediation of workers in the value chain is included in the Our governance section of the social disclosures.
Stakeholder involvement in the DMA process
PostNL’s stakeholder engagement strategy is comprehensive and multifaceted, addressing the unique needs and concerns of each stakeholder group. Through regular and transparent communication, proactive engagement, and a strong focus on sustainability, PostNL builds strong, trust-based relationships with stakeholders. This strategic approach not only ensures organisational success but also contributes to our broader societal and environmental goals, reinforcing our position as a leader in the logistics and postal industry.
Our approach to stakeholder engagement is further supported by our adherence to the CSRD. As part of the double materiality assessment in 2024, we conducted consultation sessions with a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders to validate our identified impacts, risks, and opportunities. Using stakeholder clusters and groups, we ensured the inclusion of our most relevant and important stakeholders, gathering valuable input on PostNL’s broader sustainability performance. In 2025, we assessed with internal stakeholders the sustainability trends and developments relevant for the reassessment of material topics. The results were used to assess potential updates to our ESG focus areas.
Governance plays a critical role in this process. The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board is regularly updated on key sustainability and stakeholder engagement initiatives, keeping them informed on the latest developments and reinforce the alignment of our strategy with stakeholder expectations. More information on the CSRD governance structure can be found in the CSRD governance structure section, and the Board of Management and Supervisory Board’s involvement in the DMA process can be found in the following Double materiality assessment section below.
PostNL Stakeholder engagement
Stakeholder clusters | Stakeholder groups | Most relevant topics | Our engagement | Type of stakeholder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Customers, consumers and end-users | a. Customers b. Business customers c. Consumers d. Internal customers (intercompany) |
|
| Affected stakeholder & user of sustainability information |
Our people | a. Employees b. Trade unions c. Works councils d. Non-employees e. Staffing agencies |
|
| Affected stakeholder & user of sustainability information |
Business partners and workers in the value chain | a. Operational contract parties (e.g. delivery partners & service providers) b. Suppliers c. Retailers d. International postal companies e. Pension fund PostNL f. Branch organisations |
|
| Affected stakeholder & user of sustainability information |
Investors and financial markets | a. Investors b. Other providers of capital c. Rating and benchmark agencies d. Governance institutions |
|
| Affected stakeholder & user of sustainability information |
Government bodies | a. Policy makers (international, national and local) b. Regulators c. Politics |
|
| User of sustainability information |
Media | a. Traditional media b. Social media |
|
| User of sustainability information |
Opinion leaders and society | a. NGOs b. Local communities and their representatives c. Academic and research institutions |
|
| Affected stakeholder & user of sustainability information |
Other market players | a. Traditional market players b. New market players |
|
| User of sustainability information |