Royal Mail’s 2040 net zero and near-term targets have been validated by Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
The announcement confirms that the postal service’s targets are in line with the latest climate science to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Royal Mail deputy director corporate affairs and ESG Greg Sage said the validation is “an important step” in its journey to reaching net zero.
“Royal Mail is already the UK’s greenest option for letters and parcels but we know we need to go further and faster in decarbonising our business and driving wider change,” he added.
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Royal Mail’s average emissions per parcel is currently 218gCO2e per parcel, and the company has set a long-term target to reduce the average to 50gCO2e.
The delivery service also commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50% by 2030 from a 2020 base year, and to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 25% by 2030 from a 2020 base year.
The company’s long-term targets include reducing absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 90% by 2040.
To achieve net zero by 2040, Royal Mail has been transitioning some of its heavy good vehicles to be fuelled by renewable diesel alternative hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a move which will save 2.1 million litres of diesel this year.
