Austrian Post has launched a CO2-free shipping service for half a million parcels and EMS shipmentsduring the Christmas period to coincide with the UN climate summit in Copenhagen that started
today.The Austrian postal operator now offers free of charge ‘CO2de Green’ stickers for customersshipping their parcels via the post. The CO2 emissions generated by these items are offset to 100%through external climate protection projects.
The green stickers for climate-friendly transportation are placed on all parcels and EMSshipments of private customers at the post offices where they hand in their goods. Thereby it isclearly visible both for the shipper and the recipient that the parcel has been shipped in aclimate-neutral way.
“Especially during the pre-Christmas period, the number of parcels to be shipped isincreasing dramatically. On some days, this number reaches a multiple of the usual daily average.However, the environmental pollution is also increasing through bigger transport volumes which wewant to counteract,” explained Carl-Gerold Mende, head of Austrian Post’s parcels logisticsdivision.
To offset the emissions, Austrian Post is buying compensation certificates of a Thai climateprotection project and is passing these over to its customers. “Each parcel shipped via a postoffice or a Post.Partner now receives a sticker available for this project without our customershaving to pay a cent. We take on the costs for climate offsets, thus offering Austrian citizens thepossibility to ship their Christmas presents in a climate-neutral way, by the way, as the onlyprovider nationwide,” Mende added.
The climate project supports a waste water treatment plant in Thailand. By using a wastewater treatment facility, the methane produced originally can be trapped and used instead of fueloil, Austrian Post said in a statement.
Austrian Post has one of the largest fleets in the country. Thanks to its continuousmodernisation, it is one of the most ecological fleets nationwide. Other environmental activitiesof Austrian Post include a series of initiatives to avoid waste, among others.
