Royal Mail Net-Zero targets approved by SBTi
Royal Mail Net-Zero targets approved by SBTi
- Royal Mail’s Net-Zero and near-term targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
- SBTi has validated that the targets are in line with the latest climate science to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
- The targets are part of Royal Mail’s Steps to Zero strategy which outlines how it will achieve Net-Zero by 2040.
Royal Mail’s Net-Zero and near-term targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi has validated that the corporate greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets submitted by Royal Mail are in line with the latest climate science to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The targets are part of Royal Mail’s Steps to Zero strategy which outlines how it will achieve Net-Zero by 2040. Steps to Zero builds on the company’s position as the UK’s greenest delivery option for letters and parcels*.
Royal Mail’s ‘feet on the street’ network of postmen and women walk up to a billion steps a day to deliver the nation’s letters and parcels, keeping its emissions low. 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.
SBTi has validated the below targets from Royal Mail:
Overall Net-Zero Target
Royal Mail Group Ltd commits to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain by FY2040 from a FY2020 base year.
Royal Mail Group Ltd also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 25% by FY2030 from a FY2020 base year.
Long-Term Targets
Royal Mail Group Ltd commits to reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 90% by FY2040 from a FY2020 base year.
SBTi is a global body that enables businesses to set emissions reductions targets that are in line with the latest climate science. By independently assessing companies’ targets, SBTi defines and promotes best practice for Net-Zero ambitions
Notes to editors
*Based on publicly available reported gCO2e per parcel from other UK parcel operators.
As the founding platinum supporter, we have planted four mature trees across all nations of the UK at four Royal Mail sites. The trees can be found at mail centres and delivery offices in Belfast, Portsmouth, Swansea and Glasgow. At each site our people were involved in decisions around where the tree should be planted and volunteered to support the landscaping team prepare the ground. More information on our trees and our video of employees getting involved can be found below.
Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to plant trees from October 2021 when the tree planting season begins, through to the end of the Jubilee year in 2022.
The Queen’s Green Canopy will encourage everyone to learn more about the best way to plant trees so that they survive and flourish for years to come. Trees and hedgerows must be planted with care, at the right time of year, in the right place and with species that are not prone to prevailing tree diseases. The QGC initiative will encourage planting during the official planting season, October to March, to optimise the chance of trees surviving and flourishing.
Royal Mail is the original postal service. For over 500 years we have taken the long view and continuously reinvented ourselves for the next generations. As the Founding Platinum Supporter of The Queen’s Green Canopy, Royal Mail is incredibly proud to support this inspiring project which is doing just that; creating a greener environment healthier and even more beautiful United Kingdom for the generations to come. As part of this support we have planted four amazing wonderful indigenous trees, one at a selected Royal Mail site in each UK nation, in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and for everyone to enjoy the enjoyment of all for many years to come.
Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail
Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) – A hardy and quick growing tree, it is thought to have been introduced to the UK by the Romans or in the Tudor era around the 1500s. Attractive to aphids and therefore a variety of their predators, such as ladybirds, hoverflies and birds. The leaves are eaten by caterpillars of a number of moths, including the sycamore moth, plumed prominent and maple prominent. The flowers provide a good source of pollen and nectar for bees and other insects, and the seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals.
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) – A native tree, hardy and slow growing, the hornbeam keeps its leaves all year round, providing shelter, roosting, nesting and foraging opportunities for birds and small mammals. Hornbeam is the food plant for caterpillars of a number of moth species, including the nut tree tussock. Finches and various other birds and small mammals eat the seeds in autumn.
Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur)– A traditional Native Oak Tree, hardy and on which lots of other species depend on. the wise old English oak holds a special place in the UKs culture, history, and hearts. It supports more life than any other native tree species in the UK; even its fallen leaves support biodiversity. They are host to hundreds of insect species, supplying many birds with an important food source. In autumn, mammals such as squirrels, badgers and deer feed on the acorns. Flower and leaf buds of English oak are the food plants of the caterpillars of purple hairstreak butterflies. The leaves break down in autumn to form a rich leaf mould beneath the tree, supporting invertebrates such as the stag beetle, and fungi, like the oakbug milkcap. Holes and crevices in the tree bark are perfect nesting spots for the pied flycatcher and other birds. Bats also roost in old woodpecker holes or under loose bark, as well as feeding on the rich supply of insects in the tree canopy.
A Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur)– A traditional Native Oak Tree, hardy and on which lots of other species depend on. the wise old English oak holds a special place in the UKs culture, history, and hearts. It supports more life than any other native tree species in the UK; even its fallen leaves support biodiversity. They are host to hundreds of insect species, supplying many birds with an important food source. In autumn, mammals such as squirrels, badgers and deer feed on the acorns. Flower and leaf buds of English oak are the food plants of the caterpillars of purple hairstreak butterflies. The leaves break down in autumn to form a rich leaf mould beneath the tree, supporting invertebrates such as the stag beetle, and fungi, like the oakbug milkcap. Holes and crevices in the tree bark are perfect nesting spots for the pied flycatcher and other birds. Bats also roost in old woodpecker holes or under loose bark, as well as feeding on the rich supply of insects in the tree canopy.