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Maplecroft works with the International Postal Corporation and global postal industry to achieve its 20% carbon reduction target

International Post Corporation, announces industry target and releases its first sector sustainability report

11/12/2009

Copenhagen, 11 December 2009 - The postal industry today became the first services sector to set a global emissions target for the industry when the International Post Corporation (IPC), which represents the world's leading post operators, today announced that 20 postal operators will work together to collectively reduce their carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020, based on 2008 levels.

The commitment to an industry-wide carbon reduction target was announced at a panel discussion moderated by Nadine Dereza on the postal industry and climate change. During the discussion, Jean-Paul Bailly, Chairman of the International Post Corporation and CEO of Groupe La Poste, presented the industry's first IPC Postal Sector Sustainability Report on the environment. Twenty post operators, that collectively represent 80 percent of global mail volumes, participated in this first round of reporting, using IPC's Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System, developed specifically for the industry in partnership with Maplecroft, the global risks advisory firm.

IPC members manage over 100,000 facilities and 600,000 transport vehicles. The 20 posts that contributed to the Sustainability Report collectively currently emit 8.36 million tonnes of CO2. The target set will reduce that total to 6.69 million tonnes by 2020.

“This is a momentous occasion, not just for us in the postal industry, but for business as a whole. As the first services sector to unite on a global scale to tackle its industry's global carbon footprint, we're demonstrating what can be done when organisations work together. Curbing CO2 emissions is something that concerns the entire industry, and it makes sense to take a sector approach to reaching a solution.”

- Jean-Paul Bailly.

“I welcome this global commitment by an entire service sector as an example of the vision and leadership required at all levels to effectively combat climate change, and I encourage the postal sector to continue to set an example.”

- Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The 20 post operators who took part in the EMMS report and have together set the joint emissions reduction target are: An Post, Ireland; Australia Post; Canada Post; Correios de Portugal; Correos y Telegrafos, Spain; Deutsche Post, Germany; Groupe La Poste, France; Hellenic Post, Greece; Itella Post, Finland; La Poste/De Post, Belgium; Magyar Posta, Hungary; New Zealand Post; Norway Post; Posten Norden AB, Denmark and Sweden; Postes et Telecommunications Luxembourg; Royal Mail, United Kingdom; Swiss Post; TNT, The Netherlands; and the United States Postal Service.

About the International Post Corporation

The International Post Corporation (IPC) is a cooperative association of 24 member postal operators in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region. Over the past two decades IPC has collaborated with its members to upgrade the quality of mail service by developing technology systems that bring transparency to the mail processing system and delivery chain. It also manages the system for incentive-based payments between postal operators and creates business intelligence for its members, by providing a range of platforms for CEOs and senior management to exchange best practices, discuss strategy and engage in industry research. IPC represents the majority of the world's mail, with its members delivering about 80 percent of global postal volumes. They also account for nearly 2.4 million jobs. IPC is based in Brussels, Belgium and has an international staff of 60 representing more than 17 countries. IPC is an organisation governed by a board comprised of CEOs from eleven member posts and the IPC Chief Executive Officer.

Maplecroft has worked with the International Post Corporation (IPC) since 2005. During this time it has completed a customer engagement exercise and rating, worked together with IPC in the development and implementation of the Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS) as well as in the production of this first IPC Postal Sector Sustainability Report. Maplecroft was also involved in the verification of 2009 EMMS data submitted by 18 of the 20 EMMS participants.

For more information on the report: http://www.ipc.be
View the CEO Press Event and Webcast video

Additional details of Maplecroft services: carbon footprinting, reporting