DHL Packstations help protect the environment

"As the world's leading logistics company, we have a responsibility to develop solutions that are not only customer-friendly but that also minimize our impact on the environment," said Dr. Monika Wulf-Mathies, Senior Vice President, Corporate Public Policy and Sustainability, Deutsche Post World Net. "It's the reason why our parcel business uses natural gas vehicles, diesel-powered vehicles with particle filters, IT-supported route planning and it's why we train our drivers in environmentally-friendly driving practices. This recent study now shows that our Packstations make a contribution to environmental protection as well."

The acronym OPTIMAL stands for "Strategien zur Optimierung von Abhol- und Lieferverkehren" ("Strategies for the optimization of pick-up and delivery traffic"). The goal of the study was to determine the effect of Packstations on city traffic. The study analyzed over 1,200 customer surveys along with traffic parameters and data on all Packstations located within Cologne's city limits. At the time of the survey, there were 25,000 customers registered for the city's 33 Packstations.

As part of his lecture at the Munich trade fair, Andrej Busch, Member of the Divisional Board EXPRESS Germany, emphasized the fact that "more and more DHL customers demand services that are simple, but at the same time climate-friendly. Our GoGreen products provide customers with a 'green' option when it comes to shipping," continued Busch. "And of course we are pleased that Packstation has now also proven its contribution to environmental protection."

Applying the OPTIMAL study results to the 700 Packstations operating across Germany (as of December 2006) suggests that DHL Packstations resulted in approximately 640,000 fewer kilometers traveled on Germany's roads - the equivalent of 250 fewer metric tons of CO ₂. Today approximately 600,000 registered Packstation customers throughout Germany use over 800 Packstations in more than 150 cities and communities. By the end of 2007, the network will be expanded to around 1,000 Packstations.