Post office tells 'Black Friday' shoppers how 'responsible deliveries' can help the planet

NATIONAL post office firm Correos has urged consumers to make 'environmentally-friendly delivery decisions' when buying online over 'Black Friday'.

It turns out that the form of shipping chosen has an impact on the planet – although most internet shoppers would never have realised this.

But Correos says 'snail mail' is less conducive to global warming and contributes to cleaner air.

When online buyers opt for 'express' delivery – either within hours, where this is available, or 'guaranteed next day', for example – the parcel is dispatched as soon as it is paid for.

This means courier vehicles may even be making a trip with just one package on board.

'Ordinary' delivery, normally cheaper and with timescales ranging from two days to two weeks, depending upon the retailer, means the distributors wait until their vans or lorries are full before setting off. 

As a result, a full vehicle and fewer trips means lower emissions than much more frequent journeys with only small loads.

Correos' latest tweet reads: “There are many things we'll be ordering this #BlackFriday which are urgent, but there are also many that are not. Here at Correos, we're promoting responsible use of express courier services, so we can all ask ourselves how we're doing our shopping.”

It included a second hashtag, #EnvíosResponsables ('Responsible Deliveries').

The post office's 'Black Friday' campaign launched this week comes under the heading, 'not everything is urgent, but looking after our planet is'.

Although same-day and next-day deliveries are crucial for perishable foodstuffs, birthday gifts, or replacing essential household items or products that have suddenly stopped working or have run out, Correos stresses that the vast majority of purchases can, in fact, wait a few days, and is asking buyers to be patient.

Correos' commitment to slowing down climate change and protecting nature means radical changes have been made to its operations, and it is likely more will be brought about over the next few years as their potential is discovered.

Along with other State organisations – and many private-sector firms, too – Correos is aiming to cut its emissions drastically by the year 2030, seeking 'carbon neutrality' (not generating any more carbon dioxide than the amount 'naturally' consumed; absorbed by trees, for example), and creating a zero-waste circular economy, or recycling everything that can be recycled to turn back into disposable materials.

This means envelopes made from recycled paper and parcel bags from recycled plastic, for example, and used or damaged ones put in the blue and yellow bins.

So far, its aims appear to be on track: All the energy consumed by the company comes from sources which are 100% renewable, including solar, hydraulic and wind power.

Also, it currently has a higher percentage of electrically-powered, emissions-free delivery vehicles than any other distribution company nationwide, with a fleet of over 1,000 to date.

By the year 2030, Correos wants at least 50% of its vehicles to be fossil-fuel free.

Despite the fact that the last 20 years or so has seen physical mail reduce to almost nil – few people send letters or postcards, and most bills and bank statements are online – the post office's activities continue to grow, largely through the online shopping industry and through money transfer services.

In fact, Correos has recently advertised 3,381 new permanent jobs nationwide, and invites applicants to register.