As Tobias Meyer, Board Member for Post & Parcel Germany at Deutsche Post DHL Group, explains: “Climate change is the most pressing challenge of our times. As Deutsche Post and DHL, we want to continue moving forward and expand our position in Germany as sustainability leaders in logistics. Despite the growing share of goods-related and transport-intensive shipments in our network, we will reduce the carbon emissions we cause, both directly and indirectly, and offset the remaining emissions to an even greater extent than before. We will transform our infrastructure and our processes, and offer new, climate-friendly products. Our goal is to remain the leading postal and parcel service provider – not least where environmental and social sustainability are concerned.”

　　Green buildings

　　By 2025 Deutsche Post DHL plans to build up to 280 carbon-neutral delivery bases throughout Germany. From those delivery bases, delivery staff paid according to Deutsche Post’s own company collective agreement will distribute mail and parcels to households in their various delivery districts. The new company-built delivery bases will feature photovoltaic systems, heat pumps in conjunction with underfloor heating and building automation. At some sites, battery storage systems will supplement the energy efficiency model. Solar power captured during the day is stored in the batteries and then used to charge e-vehicles overnight. To store the solar power, batteries taken from retired e-vehicles are used which – even after reaching their end-of-life in an electric vehicle – have sufficient storage capacity to allow their use as stationary chargers. This means they can be used as buffer storage to provide solar power for years to come. Compared with conventional buildings, each of the new delivery bases – relative only to the building itself – saves around 20 tonnes of carbon per year. With this measure alone, in 2025 the company will achieve carbon savings amounting to 5,600 tonnes.