Royal Mail has cut average carbon emissions per parcel by 20% in 2024–25, strengthening its claim as the UK’s greenest parcel operator.
The company’s latest ESG report reveals that emissions fell from 206gCO2e to 165gCO2e per parcel over the year.
This marks a significant lead compared to other major parcel operators, which report between approximately 308g and 547gCO2e per parcel.
This progress was driven by a mix of fleet and estate upgrades.
Royal Mail deployed 27 million litres of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biofuel in larger trucks, introduced 1,900 new electric vans, nearly halved domestic flights, and enhanced energy efficiency across operations.
Total market-based emissions for 2024–25 were 1,173KtCO2e – a 25% reduction on the 2020–21 baseline.
Scope 1 and 2 emissions dropped by 27%, and Scope 3 emissions by 24%. The company is aiming for Net-Zero by 2040 and has interim climate targets set for 2030.
Royal Mail now operates 7,000 electric vans, the UK’s largest such fleet, and plans to invest in another 1,800 EVs and charging infrastructure next year. Nearly half of these vans will be built at Stellantis’s Ellesmere Port facility.
The firm also switched to 100% renewable electricity across its estate and has already seen emissions savings of around 44,000 tCO2e from its use of HVO.
Alistair Cochrane, interim CEO at Royal Mail, said: “We are the UK’s greenest delivery company for parcels and letters and are reaping the rewards of our work to make our fleet and estate more environmentally friendly. This huge achievement reflects our commitment to being Net-Zero by 2040.”
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