Yellow post is becoming greener and greener

400 lorries with CNG engines and biogas in the tank for the world’s leading logistics group, the Deutsche Post DHL Group. This is how a yellow giant quickly goes greener.

Source: Deutsche Post DHL Group/Jens Schlueter

The world’s leading logistics group, the Deutsche Post DHL Group, already outlined its strategy for greater sustainability a year ago, illustrating how Deutsche Post and DHL Paket intend to become more climate-friendly in Germany in the coming years. A whopping Euro 600 million will be spent on improving sustainability in 2022 alone. “Over the past twelve months, we have become even more climate-friendly at all levels of the logistics chain – from product range to transportation and our buildings, to last-mile delivery,” says Tobias Meyer, Member of the Management Board for Post and Parcel Germany of the Deutsche Post DHL Group, with satisfaction. “With the right framework conditions, a CO₂-neutral, sustainable post and parcel service for the whole of Germany will be feasible in just a few years.”

Tobias Meyer, Board Member for Post and Parcel Germany at Deutsche Post DHL Group, explains the sustainability strategy for the world’s leading logistics group. Source: Deutsche Post DHL Group/Jens Schlueter

In order to achieve this ambitious goal quickly, Deutsche Post is also investing in new biogas lorries. As most of the CO₂ emissions in the post and parcel sector are generated by the transport of consignments between the major parcel and post centres, the Group is purchasing over 100 CNG-powered trucks for the Post & Parcel Germany division this year, for example. Compared to comparable diesel lorries, CNG lorries emit up to 35% less CO₂. If they were fuelled by Swiss biogas, this figure would be as high as 85% less. Biogas is also used to fuel yellow travel in Germany for the same reason, with the intention of achieving rapid improvements in the Group’s green credentials. Not just in 2022, but also in the future! The fleet of CNG lorries is therefore set to grow to more than 400 vehicles.

The biogas lorries and also some LNG-powered lorries, which can be operated just as sustainably thanks to the use of liquefied bio-LNG, are another environmentally friendly alternative for the transportation of parcels. Deutsche Post DHL Group is also turning to the railways. Around six per cent of all parcels are mainly transported from their point of departure to their respective destination area via the long rail transport routes. This corresponds to 120 million parcels per year.

An employee of the yellow giant fills up one of the soon to be 400 CNG trucks with biogas, ensuring that the yellow post is clearly greener on the road. Source: Deutsche Post DHL / Andreas Heddergott

Deutsche Post also operates at CO₂-neutral delivery hubs for cities and municipalities. These hubs will also enable the large company to become more climate-friendly in regard to its buildings, thanks to battery storage systems, photovoltaic systems, heat pumps and building automation. This has just as positive an impact on total CO₂ emissions as the CO₂-neutral deliveries already taking place across Germany, which account for more than 50% of all deliveries. The perfect interplay between the individual sustainable transport variants, where their use seems most prudent, ensures long-term overall success.

And thanks to its GoGreen Plus products, for which shipping is entirely climate-neutral, Deutsche Post is now even offering customers the opportunity to actively manage and reduce the CO₂ emissions they generate during transport and to specifically select climate-friendly transport. (jas, 23 May 2022)

Since most CO₂ emissions in the mail and parcel sector occur in the transport of shipments between the large parcel and letter centres, 400 biogas trucks will be used here, among other things. Source: Deutsche Post DHL Group