World Post Day: Our Commitment to Sustainability

October 9^th is World Post Day, celebrating the anniversary of the day the General Postal Union (which later became the Universal Postal Union) was established in 1874.

Jersey Post has chosen to use this milestone to launch our new Eco Pledge. We have prided ourselves for some years now on our commitment to sustainability, and this year we have created a new eco strategy to ensure that it is at the forefront of all areas of the business.

With a 115-strong vehicle fleet delivering approximately 80,000 parcels every month, we at Jersey Post are conscious of our carbon footprint and our subsequent environmental responsibility. We recognise the importance of positive ecological contribution, and a need to invest in sustainability and a strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

We are also keenly aware that our customers, are conscious of keeping our environment healthy, both locally and internationally. We are incredibly lucky to live on such a beautiful island, but we all need to play our role in taking care of it. Jersey has seen a significant increase in awareness of the importance of sustainability in the last few years. We want our customers to know that we too care for our island and take responsibility for our part in protecting it.

We have one core aim to our eco strategy:

• To achieve carbon neutrality by 2030

With the largest vehicle fleet in the Channel Islands, we knew this had to be the first area we addressed. We first began to implement our plans for a Green Fleet in 2013 and at the 2016 Green Fleet Awards, Jersey Post took home the award for the Private Sector Fleet of the Year (Small to Medium), an award which recognises organisations with less than 300 vehicles, which can demonstrate a reduction in CO2 and other pollutants.

Over the last four years, we have continued our efforts towards carbon neutrality, replacing our outgoing vans with electric vehicles at the end of their warranties, doubling the count in the first year, with a current total of 75 electric vans on the road – over 60% of our fleet. We have also introduced 32 electric bikes to our fleet to increase the capacity that can be taken on cycle routes.

Until all our vans can be replaced by electric vehicles, we have started to use a biofuel called HVO with our remaining diesel vans, to further reduce our CO2 emissions.

Other measures we have taken to date include:

• Imminent plans to install solar panels at our Rue des Pre headquarters
• Thermal insulation cladding has been installed on Commercial Street for heat insulation
• All fire doors in the sorting office at Rue des Pres have been changed to electric to make sure they aren’t left open to keep the heat in
• Switched to biodegradable elastic bands
• Daily recycling and waste disposal procedures
• Internal campaign to reduce single use materials from our canteen

As part of our new eco strategy, we have put together an eco-committee, comprising of staff members from throughout the business, who will help drive our environmental efforts and strive to keep momentum going for further improvements.

Some key areas which we are looking to address going forward include:

• Sustainable procurement – looking to work with partners who hold a similar environmental ethics to ourselves
• Carbon offsetting – investigating ways to offset our CO2 emissions
• Offsite meetings – replacing face to face meetings with video conferencing whenever possible and booking through sustainable travel companies when travel is necessary
• International – deeper analysis into how changes can be made with our international partners to further reduce our global carbon footprint
• Departmental roles – reviewing the role each department plays and further analysing where improvements can be made

From a business viewpoint, investing in sustainability is a no-brainer. Not only does this contribute positive action for our environment, but it's cost effective too. For us, a low carbon footprint is a reflection of efficient fleet management, as carbon emissions go hand in hand with fuel consumption, miles travelled and fleet size. We want our efforts to stand testament of our love and respect for our island and to set an example to other local businesses to make a difference too.