Canada Post’s latest sustainability report lists several corporate, environmental and social accomplishments alongside one decade-long challenge.
Published in June, Canada Post’s 2020 sustainability report includes one ongoing struggle – the postal service’s failed attempt to lower greenhouse gas emissions – among its many recent accomplishments. The Crown corporation reported an 8.9 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions despite a 2009 goal to cut those emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
In 2009, Canada Post reported 200 kilotons of total greenhouse gas emissions; however, by 2019, that amount more than doubled to exceed 500 kilotons, mostly driven by society’s seemingly insatiable appetite for e-commerce, which has allowed Canada Post to set several delivery records in recent years.
Last year, the Crown corporation’s directors approved a new target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This year, they “intend to make our greenhouse gas reduction targets public,” according to this June’s report.
“Canada Post is well positioned to help lead the way on climate change mitigation and to pursue a low-carbon future,” Cheryl Hodder, senior vice-president of corporate affairs and sustainability, is quoted as saying in the report. “We are applying the full force of our scale, reach and expertise in setting a clear and ambitious path toward significant greenhouse gas reductions.”
To read the full report, visit bit.ly/2TWNpDm.
SUSTAINABILITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
“Canadians want their postal service to do the right thing when it comes to safety, reducing our environmental impact, building an inclusive workplace – and a whole lot more,” said Canada Post President and CEO Doug Ettinger, who has been at the helm since March 2019.
The recent report list several of Canada Post’s 2020 accomplishments, including:
- mailing more than one million items for people who are blind;
- reducing its “total injury frequency rate” by 31 per cent;
- adding 353 hybrid vehicles to its total fleet of 13,000 corporate vehicles and more than 7,000 private vehicles used by rural and suburban mail carriers (comprising Canada’s largest alternative propulsion delivery fleet);
- diverting 73 per cent of its yearly waste;
- investing $221 million in renewable energy and more than $1 billion in buildings with a “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” rating or another similar environmental rating;
- distributing $1.3 million in grants to 118 community organizations;
- becoming the first Crown corporation to launch an Indigenous and northern reconciliation strategy;
- approving Canada Post’s accessibility strategy;
- launching a joint national equity and diversity committee with the national presidents of its bargaining agents plus an anti-racism action plan; and
- being named Canada’s most trusted brand in the Gustavson Brand Trust Index.