Finnish postal operator Itella is taking a major environmental step forward with a commitment todeliver all mail items carbon-neutrally. It will be the first country in the world to do this.
Starting from February 2011, all letters, papers, packages and direct advertisements deliveredby Posti, its domestic mail brand, will be carbon-neutral. This feature will be automaticallyincluded in all products without any extra charges for customers. Until now, CO2-neutral deliveryhas been available at an additional price.
Hanna Kaustia, Director of Itella’s Environmental Programme, commented: “We believe that despitean increase in electronic deliveries, paper communications will play an important part far into thefuture. At Itella, we will do our best to ensure that the carbon footprint of all Posti’s paperdeliveries and packages is as small as possible. The compensation of carbon emissions producedthrough deliveries is one part of the whole.”
Itella will provide CO2-neutral mail delivery though a mix of active emissions avoidance andoffsetting. According to the company, delivery of a single letter produces an average of 21 gramsof carbon dioxide emissions.
In its environmental programme, Itella focuses on improving energy efficiency and increasing theuse of renewable low-emission energy. For example, it has been using electric cars and mopeds for along time as well as biodiesel and natural gas cars in mail delivery and transportation. Its goalis to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by 2020 (compared to 2007, in relation toturnover).
The remaining emissions are compensated by taking part in climate projects that replace the useof fossil fuels and produce renewable energy through wind or biogas. This guarantees that acorresponding emission amount is reduced somewhere else. This compensation takes place in reliableand certified (Gold Standard) climate projects that include sites reviewed by an independentenvironmental certifier.
Mikko Routti, Director of Finnish Business & Society, Finland’s leading network ofresponsible business operations, said: “Itella’s carbon neutral transportation makes it possiblefor its customer companies to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the entire delivery chain.This change enables a carbon-efficient delivery of important messages – also in paper format. Forconsumers, this means that they can choose between electronic and paper messages.
“In addition, this enables electronic trading with a clear conscience. Consumers can makepurchases regardless of their place of residence or working hours, without driving to largeshopping centres that are damaging to the environment. Itella’s position as a forerunner helpsFinland to rise towards the top of the EU and the world in carbon-efficient business operations.”& amp; amp; lt; /p>
