German postal service calls for CO2 labelling on parcels

Germany’s postal service Deutsche Post has called for mandatory labelling of the CO2 footprint of parcels sent by parcel services to inform customers, reports news agency dpa. Such a regulation is designed to make "the CO2 emissions of parcels transparent to people", said Ole Nordhoff, the responsible business unit manager at Deutsche Post. The label could be introduced as part of a larger postal law reform planned for the end of the year, writes dpa. The news agency adds that Deutsche Post in particular could benefit compared to its rivals, because the company has invested significantly more in electric mobility than for example Hermes, DPD and GLS and therefore has a comparatively low greenhouse gas footprint per parcel. Deutsche Posts boasts a fleet of around 23,000 electric vans in use, which is much more than its competitors, according to dpa.

How much CO2 a package really causes depends on a variety of factors — such as the distance of the route and whether an electric vehicle is used for the last mile or an internal combustion vehicle. Other companies are less convinced of the CO2 label proposal. A spokesperson for Hermes told dpa the aforementioned factors are difficult, if impossible, to determine at the point of checkout in online stores. Delivery traffic in Germany is on the rise due to the boom in online retailing, which was accelerated further by the coronavirus pandemic. Deutsche Post DHL said it aims to invest billions of euros in e-mobility and innovative delivery solutions in the coming years.