IPC: 5 postal operators have joined pilot of the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management Programme
Following the endorsement of the CEO Board of the Kahala Posts Group (KPG) in 2022, a further five postal operators have joined a pilot of the IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management (SMMS) Programme as of January 2023. The new entrants to the SMMS include the postal administrations of Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Thailand.
As part of the agreed pilot programme, the five new members will report on two of the seven Focus Areas within the SMMS, which were developed in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- Resource Efficiency
- Climate Change
Each new participating post will be assessed through both the qualitative (Sustainability Management Proficiency) and quantitative elements (Sustainability Performance Indicators) of the SMMS programme. The first dataset to be collected will be for 2022 and will be reported in 2023.
The IPC Sustainability Measurement and Management System (SMMS) was launched in 2019 to address the sustainability objectives of the postal sector for the next ten years, aligned with the UN SDGs. It provides a common sustainability measurement and reporting structure that enables participants to share their sustainability management strategies, performance, and achievements.
From 2023 the programme consists of 28 participants from five continents – Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and America. These include: An Post (Ireland), Australia Post (Australia), Austrian Post (Austria), bpost (Belgium), Canada Post (Canada), Correos (Spain), CTT Portugal Post (Portugal), Deutsche Post DHL Group (Germany), Hongkong Post (Hong Kong), Hrvatska Posta (Croatia), Japan Post (Japan), Korea Post (Korea), Le Groupe La Poste (France), New Zealand Post Group (New Zealand), Omniva (Estonia), Pos Malaysia (Malaysia), POST Luxembourg (Luxembourg), Poste Italiane (Italy), Posten Norge (Norway), Posti (Finland), PostNL (The Netherlands), PostNord (Denmark & Sweden), Royal Mail Group Plc (United Kingdom), South African Post Office (South Africa), Swiss Post (Switzerland), Thailand Post (Thailand), United States Postal Service (United States).
The SMMS expands on the 2009-2019 Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS), a global initiative launched in 2008 in response to stakeholder and postal CEO requests for the postal sector to minimise its carbon footprint and improve its carbon management. The SMMS broadens the scope of the programme to the seven sustainability focus areas most relevant for the postal sector: Health and safety; Learning and development; Resource efficiency; Climate change; Air quality; Circular economy and Sustainable procurement.
In 2022 the SMMS group collectively reported 34% of renewable electricity in buildings and 24% of alternative vehicles in their fleet. The participating posts also reported a 34% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions compared to a 2008 baseline. Since 2008, the group’s cumulative reduction in emissions now equals 25.7m tonnes CO2.