Royal Mail cuts carbon emissions by 20% per parcel with HVO

In the UK, Royal Mail has cut its average carbon emissions per parcel delivered by 20% over the past year, according to its latest environmental, social and governance (ESG) report. The report, published on June 26, shows carbon emissions per parcel fell to 165gCO2e from 206gCO2e in the prior year. This is considerably lower than other major UK parcel operators, who reported emissions of between 308g and 547gCO2e per parcel, according to Citizens Advice’s 2024 parcels league table.

According to Royal Mail, the reduction was driven by the company’s increased use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) – a low-emission biofuel – in its fleet of large trucks; the deployment of 1,900 new electric vans; energy efficiency measures across its estate; and a strong reduction in its Scope 3 emissions, including almost halving the number of domestic flights.