The Hague, 17 September 2026 – Today marks Green Postal Day, the annual day on which postal and logistics companies around the world highlight efforts to make the sector more sustainable. At PostNL, climate ambitions are becoming increasingly visible in day-to-day operations. With 2,000 electric delivery vans, the further electrification of the truck fleet, solar-powered parcel lockers and packaging that contains less empty space, PostNL is taking concrete steps towards its climate targets for 2030 and 2040.
This spring, PostNL put its 2,000th electric delivery van into service. Of the approximately 4,500 delivery rounds made each day, 2,000 are now electric. PostNL is also taking further steps to electrify its truck fleet. Two electric trucks are currently in operation, with another six due to enter service in the coming period. PostNL will use the experience gained from these vehicles to accelerate the transition to electric trucks.
PostNL is also putting its sustainability ambitions into practice in other areas. This year, PostNL installed its first solar-powered parcel lockers with integrated battery, which can operate without a fixed connection to the grid. At the fulfilment centre in Houten, one million parcels have been packed using an automated packaging line. The parcels contain, on average, 13% less packaging volume. This saves an amount of space equivalent to approximately 60 fully loaded truck trailers or more than 600 delivery vans.
By 2030, PostNL aims to reduce CO₂ emissions from its own vehicles and buildings by 90%, and its total emissions by 45%. By 2040, PostNL aims to achieve net zero, with total emissions reduced by at least 90%. “We are making our own vehicles, buildings and processes more sustainable, but that alone is not enough,” says Suzanne Debrichy, Lead ESG at PostNL. “A significant share of emissions occurs across the value chain. To reduce these emissions further, we need to work together with customers, transport partners and other postal operators.”
One example of this collaboration is the Carbon Footprint Calculator, launched by PostNL and twelve other national postal operators through the International Post Corporation. The calculator measures the CO₂ emissions of international parcels across the entire logistics chain, down to individual shipment level. To date, the emissions of 95 million parcels have been measured using the calculator. By applying a consistent measurement approach, postal operators are gaining increasingly detailed insight into the climate impact of cross-border deliveries.