Carbon reduction

New Zealand Post will be carbon neutral, business-wide from 2030

Being carbon neutral means we will reduce our carbon emissions by 32% (from a 2018 baseline) and from 2030 will purchase carbon credits to offset any remaining unavoidable emissions.

We’ve already reached our first big milestone with the person-to-person sending process now being carbon neutral - learn more.

Our reduction target

The technical part: We’re committed to reducing absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions 32% by FY2030 from a FY2018 base year

Our carbon reduction target is a science-based target, validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and we are one of the first three NZ-based businesses to achieve this.

Having a science-based target means we know exactly how much and how quickly we need to reduce our company’s greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

WWF-New Zealand CEO Livia Esterhazy "It's exciting to be able to congratulate New Zealand Post on their approved science-based target! By setting a science-based target, New Zealand Post have proven that they're committed to doing their fair share of meeting the Paris Agreement goal of keeping climate change well below two degrees."

“What's more, we know from our experience working with businesses here and all over the world that setting real, meaningful emissions reduction targets like this isn't just good for the climate - it's good for business.”

For more information on science-based targets, visit the Science Based Targets website.

We are also a Toitū carbon reduce certified organisation, meaning we measure and manage the operational emissions of our organisation, including business travel, electricity, vehicles and offices, in accordance with ISO 14064-1 and the GHG Protocol.

How will we reduce our emissions?

There is no immediate solution, we recognise that a step change in efforts need to be made across the business to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses (such as carbon dioxide known as carbon emissions).

Funding low carbon activities: 

Our first action was to create a dedicated decarbonisation fund, to help us invest in low carbon activities. The value of this annual fund is equal to the amount of carbon credits we need to purchase and offset for our unavoidable emissions to be carbon neutral. The fund is available to support initiatives that reduce carbon emissions from our business.

Reducing the emissions from our fleet:

We currently have one of the largest electric fleets in NZ and continue to invest in this every year. Find out more about the steps we are taking to electrify our fleet.

By optimising our network and increasing our first-time delivery rates we are reducing how far both our fleet, and you, have to drive to receive your parcels, which ultimately reduces emissions.

Reducing the energy from our buildings:

Over the past four years we have achieved a 14% or 3,954,346 kWh reduction in the amount of energy required by our sites, which is the equivalent to taking 340 average-sized cars off the road. Moving to smarter technologies to reduce power consumptions in our buildings and making simple changes like improving lights (replacing old lights with new high-efficiency LED lights, ensuring lighting controls work properly) and making adjustments to our heating/cooling systems at our largest sites has helped us achieve this reduction.

Delivering climate change action through our people:

All of our people play a role in reducing energy use and waste production in the workplace. FutureFit is an internal behaviour change programme that we’ve put in place to ensure our people have the tools and information they need to do the right thing and have an impact.

We know we can’t do it alone, so we also collaborate with suppliers and customers on low-carbon initiatives that are crucial to our success.