Australia Post overshoots emissions target and hits 100% renewable electricity at operational sites

Australia Post says it has “overshot” its 2025 carbon emissions reduction targets and also successfully transitioned to 100 per cent renewable electricity at all its operational sites.

The government-owned postal giant says carbon emissions have been cut by 20 per cent below financial-year-2019 levels, beating its original target of a 15 per cent cut by 2025 laid out in its sustainability roadmap published in 2022.

Australia Post was also the first Commonwealth Government Business Enterprise to sign on to the Australian federal government’s Net Zero by 2050 target.

Since these two plans were agreed to, Australia Post has rolled out one of Australia’s largest electric delivery fleets, with over 5,000 e-bikes, motorbikes, and electric delivery vehicles (eDVs).

The transformation of its electricity supply was illustrated in August with the official opening of a new new parcel delivery centre in Blacktown, in Western Sydney, which features a 398 kilowatt (kW) solar system and 81 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of battery storage.

The Blacktown Parcel Delivery Centre also features electric vehicle (EV) charging and an onsite rainwater tank.

Together, the sustainability initiatives implemented at Blacktown are expected to reduce carbon emissions from operational activities by over 250 tonnes each year.

Other accomplishments Australia Post has achieved over the past three years include cutting waste to landfill by 39 per cent compared to FY19, nearly double the 20 per cent goal laid out in the Roadmap, and lifted recycling to 73 per cent, above the targeted 70 per cent.

“Our progress under the 2025 Sustainability Roadmap shows that meaningful change is possible when an organisation commits to it,” said Richard Pittard, chief sustainability officer at Australia Post.

“It’s a strong start and a clear demonstration of what’s possible. But we also recognise there is much more to do.

“Insights from delivering the 2025 roadmap will guide Australia Post in the next phase of our sustainability journey as it becomes even more critical to decarbonise our operations in line with available technology, embrace circularity and continue to deliver positive outcomes for our people, our communities and the planet.”

One of the only sectors in which Australia Post appears to have struggled is packaging, with only 44 per cent of packaging used by Australia Post and StarTrack, its wholly owned delivery partner, currently meeting the targets set out in the 2025 Sustainability Roadmap.

But, according to Pittard, achieving Australia Post’s goals with regards to packaging will require large scale resource recovery solutions and strong collaboration across supply chains and with its partners.

“We know we have more to do to reduce the impact of our packaging,” said Pittard.

“We’re proud of our progress to date but recognise we have more to do. By working together, we can accelerate progress and deliver smarter, more circular solutions for customers and communities.”

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