Since 2012, Le Groupe La Poste has offset its CO2 emissions by purchasing carbon credits, making it the first French operator to ensure carbon neutrality for all its offerings.
Although Le Groupe La Poste has piloted a series of initiatives, including running around 30,000 alternative vehicles* and training its 82,000 drivers to use eco-driving, the company’s activities mean it also requires offsetting to tackle residual emissions.
Offsetting benefits the company by differentiating Le Groupe La Poste for its customers and partners. Meanwhile, integrating carbon as an accounting asset has driven innovation in terms of creating new solutions to reduce the company’s carbon footprint at every level and cut offsetting costs.
The portfolio of projects Le Groupe La Poste finances is large, ranging from improving access to drinking water in Kenya (a project chosen by employees), to reforestation and biodiversity preservation in Borneo, development of renewable energy in India, and conservation of the Amazonian forest and its biodiversity in Peru – an initiative voted for by customers.
To enhance its offsetting programme, Le Groupe La Poste is one of the eight founding members of Postal Carbon Fund (PCF). The first carbon initiative dedicated to helping postal sector offset its emissions, the PCF aims at providing carbon credits to postal companies in developed countries who finance offsetting projects implemented by their counterparts in developing countries. In doing so, the PCF aims to build both carbon solidarity and low carbon development. In 2015, Le Groupe La Poste offsets more than 90% of its 1.6m CO2 emissions. Its next challenge will be to involve local managers in carbon management programmes, including preventing, measuring, reducing and offsetting emissions.
*Largest electric fleet for a company in the world rewarded during the 2014 Bidendum Challenge (China).