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GoGreen: Our approach towards environmental protection

We recognize environmental protection as our responsibility as well as a business opportunity. In October 2010 Deutsche Post DHL published the study “Delivering Tomorrow: Towards Sustainable Logistics”. Key trends based on an international customer survey and expert interviews reveal the role of logistics in moving towards a low-carbon future. That’s what we strive for.

We are committed to minimizing the impact of our business on the environment. Our core businesses, mail and logistics, result in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), making climate protection the primary focus of our efforts. However, our environmental protection program, GoGreen, also sets the stage for our environmental management system, covering the local management of aspects such as water, waste, noise, the use of natural resources and local air pollution.

GoGreen is part of Deutsche Post DHL’s corporate strategy. Our environmental protection program is crucial to our strategic goals to make a positive contribution to the world and offer our customers innovative, sustainable solutions. To improve our environmental performance further, we updated our Group-wide Environmental Policy in 2010. It sets the foundation for our GoGreen program and helps ensure our environmental compliance. The primary objectives laid down in our Environmental Policy are:

to achieve transparency of our environmental impact, with a focus on our carbon footprint including subcontracted transportation
to improve operational efficiency and minimize our environmental impact
to generate value in offering green solutions to our customers and helping them to achieve their environmental goals
to demonstrate leadership in fostering green technologies, helping to shape political regulations and engaging with our key stakeholders
to mobilize employees in strengthening their environmental knowledge and helping them to engage in environmental protection.

The main focus of GoGreen is climate protection. We are committed to improving the CO₂ efficiency of our own operations and those of our transportation subcontractors by 30 % by 2020, compared to our 2007 baseline. This means reducing the CO₂ emissions we generate for every letter and parcel sent, every tonne of cargo transported and every square meter of warehouse space used by 30 %.

Deutsche Post DHL was the first logistics company to set a quantified carbon efficiency goal. Step by step, we are working to reach this ambitious goal and to improve our efficiency, thereby reducing costs, adding value and creating new market opportunities.

To implement GoGreen successfully across the Group, the program is driven by dedicated departments at corporate and divisional level and strongly linked with the Group’s management processes. In 2010, we strengthened the GoGreen program by integrating the reporting of carbon efficiency improvements into our regular business management processes. Further important achievements in the reporting year have been:

Green steps and achievements in 2010

Carbon emissions and efficiency index

Achieving transparency of our CO₂ emissions and other environmental impacts is a prerequisite for our GoGreen program. One important step in 2010 has been the set-up of a cross-industry European initiative to improve the transparency of road transportation subcontractors, co-founded by Deutsche Post DHL.

Improving our carbon efficiency

To improve our carbon efficiency and minimize our impact on the environment, we are optimizing our networks, modernizing our fleet and reducing the energy consumption of our buildings. One highlight from 2010 is the approval for piloting 86 electric vehicles to set logistics standards and reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.

Managing non-carbon aspects

Based on our comprehensive environmental management approach, we strive to manage non-carbon environmental aspects and increase the percentage of employees working in ISO 14001 certified sites. In 2010, 49 % of our employees worked under ISO 14001.

Mobilizing employees

With around 470,000 employees worldwide, we rely on their commitment to protect the environment. In 2010, over 14,000 employees from 80 countries joined activities for World Environment Day and around 5,000 employees participated in GoGreen DialogMap workshops to save resources in their workplace.

Green solutions for our customers

With our green solutions, we help our customers to achieve their environmental goals. In 2010, we delivered more than 1.7 billion carbon-neutral GOGREEN shipments. And to create our own carbon credits in the future, we launched our first climate protection project in Lesotho with efficient firewood stoves, saving up to 80 % carbon emissions compared to conventional stoves.

Demonstrating leadership

To support our climate protection ambitions, we collaborate with partners from research and industry and ask for a respective political framework. In 2010, we published the study “Delivering Tomorrow: Towards Sustainable Logistics”, based on a green customer survey and interviews with external and internal experts.

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