USPS has exceeded several of its sustainability goals, including nearly a 30% reduction in facilityenergy use, a 33% reduction of supplies purchases and a 133% increase in alternative fuel use, the
company revealed in its 2010 Annual Sustainability Report.Patrick Donahoe, USPS Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Deliveringmail to every person and business in America is a big job with enormous responsibilities to ourcustomers and the environment. That’s why ‘leaner, greener, faster, smarter’ is our sustainabilitycall to action, as we eliminate waste, reduce fuel and energy use, and lower our carbon footprint,driving costs down in a sustainable, responsible way.”
In concrete terms, USPS delivered 171 billion mail items to 150 million delivery points with215,000 postal vehicles, 44,000 of which are alternative-fuel-capable trucks, logging more than 6million km per day. In addition, the US postal operator provided 27 billion stamps and shippingsupplies certified by ‘Cradle to Cradle’, a multi-attribute eco-label. USPS said it is the onlymailing and shipping company in the world to have earned this certification for materials that meetestablished standards for human and environmental health and recyclability.
Since 2008, USPS has cut its CO2 emissions by more than 1 million metric tonnes, which equalsthe annual emissions of nearly 204,000 passenger vehicles.
These energy-conservation actions are part of the company’s comprehensive strategy to reducefacility energy use by 30 %, increase alternative fuel use 10%, and reduce vehicle petroleum use20% by 2015, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020.
Chief Sustainability Officer, Thomas Day, praised the company’s culture of conservation: “Postal employees care very much about the environment. With the help of 400 green teams, created toidentify low- and no-cost conservation projects, we reduced energy and water use in 2010, savingmore than $5 million. We also reduced waste to landfills and recycled 222,000 tonnes of material in2010, which avoided $9 million in landfill fees and generated $13 million in revenue.”
USPS said it also helps customers practice sustainability. In 2010, lobby recyclingprogrammes in more than 10,000 post offices helped customers divert 22,000 tonnes of discarded mailfrom landfills. The postal operator also helped customers recycle more than 1 million smallelectronics and printer cartridges.
