POSTAL NEWS No 47- 2022
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. FedEx unveils three-year grant for rewilding project in Scottish Highlands
June 17, 2022
FedEx Express is providing a three-year grant to environmental non-profit Rewilding Europe in support of its ninth rewilding landscape in the Affric Highlands, Scotland.
Launched by Rewilding Europe together with Scottish non-profit Trees for Life and local stakeholders last September, the project seeks to create a vast nature recovery area across the Highlands.
Over the coming three years, FedEx funding will support the non-profit’s
work with local communities, organizations and landowners, to enhance biodiversity, address climate change and create new opportunities by helping to develop a nature-based economy.
David Canavan, chief operating officer, FedEx Express Europe, said, “By supporting rewilding, we want to make a connection between carbon capture as a concept and what these natural solutions can really look like on the ground. Now is an exciting moment to get behind this form of land use, as projects like this seek to demonstrate not only the environmental benefits of rewilding, but also connect landowners to alternative sources of income that may not have been possible or accessible until now
Frans Schepers, managing director at Rewilding Europe, said, “Having support from FedEx early in the development of Affric Highlands is a great kick-start enabling positive grassroots, community-led actions for the coming three years.
When corporate partners like FedEx speak to the value of rewilding – for carbon capture and biodiversity impact – it helps landowners unlock the potential of their land and the benefits of restoring nature at landscape scale.”
A second but important component of the FedEx grant to Rewilding Europe provides year one funding to develop a carbon credit standard for rewilding across Europe. Rewilding Europe aims to guide toward an accurate value for the carbon capture potential of land that has been rewilded and that is simultaneously reversing biodiversity decline.
FedEx has a goal of achieving carbon neutral operations by 2040. Alongside focused emissions reductions efforts, charitable grants to environmental non-profit organizations seek to promote and scale nature-based solutions for addressing climate challenges.
Source :https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/csr/fedex-unveils- three-year-grant-for-rewilding-project-in-scottish-highlands.html
2. Royal Mail opens new automated super hub as it becomes a parcels business
June 16, 2022
Huge new Warrington sorting centre can process more than 800,000 parcels a day
Royal Mail today unveiled its new state-of-the-art North West Super Hub in Warrington which can process more than 800,000 parcels a day and is set to transform the company as a parcels business.
Officially opened by Andy Carter, MP for Warrington South, the Super Hub measures 32,000m2 – equivalent to 4.5 football pitches – and can sort up to 40,000 items an hour.
The huge new facility will operate seven days a week and houses the latest scanning, sorting and tracking technology.
With domestic parcel volumes up more than
30% compared to pre-pandemic levels, it will support customer’s growing demands for next day delivery and delivery of larger items.
The Super Hub represents a significant investment in the North West by Royal Mail. Located near major urban centres including Manchester and Liverpool, and the warehousing and fulfilment sites of online retailers, it will employ around 600 people at full capacity.
As part of Royal Mail’s Steps to Zero environmental plan to achieve average per parcel emissions of 50gCO2e and reach net zero by 2040, the Warrington hub is also home to a fleet of 20 bio-compressed natural gas (bio-CNG) HGVs, as part of a fleet of 80 vehicles across the business that will be fully operational by Spring 2023, which help reduce direct emissions by around 85% compared to their diesel equivalent.
Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail, said: “Royal Mail is now a parcels business that also delivers letters. Our new parcels Super Hub will allow us to give consumers exactly what they
want – being able to order products very late in the day to have them delivered the very next day, seven days a week.
“This is a giant step forward in our journey to 90% parcel automation by the end of next year. We can compete and win in the parcels market which will give our team the job security they deserve both today and tomorrow.”
Andy Carter, MP for Warrington South, said: “It’s been brilliant to officially open Royal Mail’s brand new Super Hub based here in Warrington. The sheer size and scale of the place is so impressive – the facility is four and a half football pitches in size and able to sort up to 40,000 items per hour.
“Given the disruption of the pandemic and the increased demand for online ordering, it’s great to see Royal Mail investing in facilities fit to meet these challenges, as well as creating hundreds of jobs for local people in our region.”
Royal Mail is pursuing an ambitious programme of automation across the business. This year, it has installed 10 parcel sorting machines in mail centres across the country, including in Nottingham, Chester and Cardiff. Its Midlands Super Hub, based in Daventry, is on track to open in Summer 2023.
In March 2022, Royal Mail reached the milestone of 50% parcels automated - up from 33% last year. The company is aiming to reach its overall target of 90% parcel automation by 2023-24.
Source : https://www.royalmailgroup.com/en/press-centre/press-releases/royal-mail/royal- mail-opens-new-automated-super-hub-as-it-becomes-a-parcels-business/
3. Canada Post finally acts on climate change
June 15, 2022
CPC commits to net zero emissions by 2050; work of the Union helped pushed to act now
Canada Post is finally addressing climate change and the role it must play in saving our planet. Last week, Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger officially announced the Corporation’s commitment to transform its corporately owned fleet of 14,000 vehicles to fully electric by 2040 and putting Canada Post on a path to net zero emissions by 2050.
This is a welcome announcement and a testament to the dedicated and devoted work of the Union to push Canada Post to address its own greenhouse gas emissions footprint. CUPW has advocated for many years, through the Delivering Community Power campaign, and our work on the Environment Committee and Appendix T, for Canada Post to be a leader in fighting climate change, while creating good, green, unionized jobs, and providing necessary services in all corners of the country. In his address, Canada Post CEO Doug Ettinger thanked the bargaining agents for their continued engagement and collaboration on this crucial step.
Zero emissions vehicles
The Corporation’s vehicle fleet will be transformed to non-emitting transportation, with commitments to 50 per cent electric by 2030, and 100 per cent electric by 2040. It’s time that Canada Post leveraged its huge fleet and led the way in emissions reductions. Canada currently lags behind other countries in electric vehicle adoption, accounting for only 3 per cent of new car sales. A green transition requires large-scale public investment in renewables
and putting one of our largest public infrastructures at the centre of the transformation is critical.
Science based targets
Canada Post also committed to a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to meet the 1.5-degree pathway of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This target would set Canada Post on a path to net zero emissions by 2050, but only for Scope 1 and 2 emissions. RSMC vehicle emissions are currently contained in Scope 3, where they aren’t counted towards CPC’s direct GHG emissions. Scope 3 emissions account for 88 per cent of the Corporation’s emissions. To truly tackle climate change, CUPW believes RSMC vehicles should be included in Scope 1. See bulletin #291 for more information.
Transforming national operations
While electrifying the fleet is a great beginning, Canada Post has more buildings and assets that can also be transformed to help green the planet. As part of its commitment to net zero emissions, the Corporation announced it would retrofit buildings, new buildings would be net zero carbon, and that it would source renewal energy for real estate and operations.
CUPW will continue to monitor these commitments, as the Union believes that any consideration of carbon offsets are not reasonable solutions to the Corporation’s GHG footprint.
The job isn’t done
The details of Canada Post’s announcement read right from the Delivering Community Power plan, and while this news is a good first step, our job is far from over. Our plans are much bigger.
We want employee and public access to electric vehicle charging stations at every Canada Post location in the country, we want new vehicle manufacturing, chip, and battery development to be made by unionized workers, right here in Canada, creating good, unionized green jobs, we want our mechanics to be trained to fix these new vehicles, and so much more.
Canada Post made a commitment, but we will make sure they follow through. We will hold them accountable to the commitments they’ve made and push them to do even more.
CUPW national policies
The Union has strong policies contained in the National Constitution which call for principled actions of the Union and members to protect the planet. To find out more about these policies or the demands of Delivering Community Power, please sign up for eDigest.
Source : https://www.cupw.ca/en/canada-post-finally-acts-climate-change
4. Poczta Polska has launched a new sorting facility in Kalisz
June 14, 2022
Poczta Polska is implementing a project to transform the logistics network to handle the increasing volume of promising CEP shipments (courier, parcel, express). One of the key elements influencing the potential in this area and the effectiveness of the processes taking place is modern infrastructure. For this purpose, the Company is launching a
new sorting plant in Kalisz. The selected location provides appropriate conditions for the implementation of key logistics processes related to servicing the residents of the southern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship.
The warehouse section at Panattoni Park Kalisz at ul. Rozwojowa 1, is a modern operating area, characterized by easy access to the docks and access directly from the square. Practical planning of the area is a response to the expectations of companies from various industries. The investment
is perfectly connected with the main communication routes of the country. The hall is situated 5 km from the center of Kalisz, near the city's beltway and national roads no. 25 and no. 12, which ensures convenient road transport.
Currently implemented investments of Poczta Polska are a response to the systematically developing e-commerce sector, which has significantly increased its share in the entire purchasing market, carried out by both large and smaller entities.
The goal of Poczta Polska is to improve the efficiency of the current functioning logistics network, the implementation of which will translate into an increase in work efficiency, ensuring the timeliness of courier shipments at the level expected by customers and, as a result, will ensure long-term development of Poczta Polska, says Tomasz Zdzikot, President of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.
Poczta Polska has a total area of 4.3 thousand square meters. m2, which will include over 3.7 thousand. m2 of warehouse space with 8 unloading docks, a drive-in gate and 4 courier gates, over 650 m2 of office and social space, 23 parking spaces and a loading yard.
- The transformation of the logistics infrastructure is one of the key investment activities of Poczta Polska. We are consistently modernizing our sorting plants in order to provide the best solutions and conditions to handle increasing volumes of parcels.
Our goal is to become a leader on the courier market, and the development of the logistics infrastructure will be accompanied by a change in the offer of services that is best suited to the needs of our customers - says Andrzej Bodziony, Vice President of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.
So far, logistic processes have been carried out in the switching station in Ostrów Wlkp. At ul. Towarowa 3, where the conditions significantly limited the possibility of efficient handling of loading and unloading vehicles due to insufficient operational space to perform current tasks.
- Acquiring new locations necessary for the development of logistics infrastructure is an important element of the real estate management policy of Poczta Polska. The new sorting plants will ensure better reloading infrastructure and a better technical condition, and this translates into the quality of shipment service and improvement of working conditions - emphasizes Krzysztof Falkowski, Vice President of the Management Board of Poczta Polska.
In the territory of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poczta Polska provides logistic services to almost 13.3 thousand. contractual customers. These are entities from the e-commerce industry, the Public Finance Sector, and stationary sales networks, among others. In addition, the
Company provides a pallet delivery service used by over 2,100 customers. The average daily volume of pallets in shipment amounts to approx. 5,300 items.
Delivery of parcels in this area of activity is carried out by a total of over 2,000 couriers and postmen, and monthly over 88 million pass through the sorting plants in Wielkopolska, i.e. in Poznań and Kalisz. letter and advertising items as well as about 7 million parcel and courier items.
Poczta Polska is implementing a project to transform the logistics network to handle the increasing volume of CEP parcels (courier, express, parcel). The implementation of this project will enable a smooth transformation of the current logistics network, adapted mainly to handling letters, to the target network, in which CEP and e-commerce parcels will be the most popular. As we have already informed, the Ministry of State Assets has decided to recapitalize Poczta Polska in the amount of PLN 190 million. These funds will be allocated exclusively to the implementation of investments planned for many years in the field of Logistics Network Architecture (ASL). The planned full amount of investment expenditure for this purpose is approx. PLN 760 million in the years 2021–2025.
Recently, Poczta Polska and Panattoni signed a contract for the lease of over 50,000 m2 of operational and logistics space for the second sorting plant in Warsaw. The new operational area of Poczta Polska will act as a distribution hub for handling parcels and pallets coming from other sorting facilities in the country and from its own area of operation.
At the same time, work is underway to launch sorters for the automatic separation of CEP parcels in the existing logistic units of Poczta Polska in Wrocław, Lublin and Lisie Ogon near Bydgoszcz.
Source : https://media.poczta-polska.pl/pr/750344/poczta-polska-uruchomila-nowa- sortownie-w-kaliszu
5. Posti's science-based net-zero targets approved as the first Finnish company - globally first in its industry
June 13, 2022
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has approved Posti's science-based net-zero targets.
Posti is the first Finnish company and globally the first company in its industry to have its net-zero targets approved by the initiative. There’s no companies from Sweden or Baltics with approved targets, either.
In addition to Posti, 16 companies worldwide have their net-zero targets approved. Eight of these companies are committed to reaching the target, like Posti, by 2040, the earliest possible date.
Earlier, last August, SBTi approved Posti's near-term science-based emission reduction targets *. To achieve them, Posti intends to be zero-emission in terms of its own operations (scope 1 & 2) and achieve 100% fossil-free road transport also for its partners by 2030.
"The latest climate science from the IPCC shows it is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, but we are dangerously close to that threshold. Companies need to rapidly halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero before 2050. Posti is committed to net-zero by already 2040, and we want to encourage all companies to join," says Noomi Jägerhorn, Posti's Sustainability Director.
The net-zero target means that Posti will reduce the emissions of the value chain to zero in addition to the emissions caused by its own operations - in practice, its own transportation, and business premises. Emissions in the value chain include, for example, subcontracted transport, emissions from the production phase of fuels, purchased products and services, and business and business travel.
To reach the science-based net-zero target, a company must reduce all its emissions to zero. However, if this is not possible, for example, because a company cannot control all emissions in its value chain, emissions must be reduced by at least 90%. In this case, the remaining emissions must be removed from the atmosphere. Posti's all emissions are disclosed in more detail in the Sustainability Report (link).
Posti's science-based emission reduction targets
§ By 2030, Posti will reduce its total emissions (scope 1, 2 & 3) by 50% from the 2020 level.
§ Posti intends to achieve this goal by being zero-emission in terms of its own operations (scope 1 & 2) and by achieving 100% fossil-free road transport also by 2030 in the value chain.
§ By 2040, Posti will be net-zero in all its operations (scope 1, 2 & 3).
Posti had committed itself to the zero-rated Climate Pledge initiative by 2020 (press release), but now the targets have been approved by SBTi.
Posti's own emissions fell by ten percent last year compared to the previous year. A year earlier, emissions fell by 14 percent, so the journey towards zero emissions continued at a good level. In total, Posti's own emissions in Finland have fallen by almost 60 percent since 2011.
In May, the international financial media Financial Times added Posti to its list of the European companies that have reduced their climate emissions the most, Europe's Climate Leaders 2022. The list includes 400 companies, 20 of them from Finland. In March, Finnish consumers chose Posti as the most responsible parcel and logistics brand in the 2022 Sustainable Brand Index ™ survey.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a global body enabling businesses to set ambitious emissions reduction targets in line with the latest climate science. It is focused on accelerating companies across the world to halve emissions before 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions before 2050.
The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI), and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Source : https://www.posti.com/en/media/media-news/2022/postis-science-based-net-zero- targets-approved-as-the-first-finnish-company---globally-first-in-its-industry/
POSTAL NEWS No 48- 2022
Formulated by UNI Apro Post and Logistics Sector
1. InPost strikes partnership with WHSmith for indoor parcel locker network June 17, 2022
Parcel locker manufacturer InPost has announced a new partnership with UK retailer WHSmith, marking the company’s first national indoor proposition in the UK.
InPost lockers will be deployed in WHSmith high street stores across the the country, complementing its existing network of more than 3,500 parcel lockers.
Gavin Brice, locations director at InPost UK, said, “We are rapidly growing our network of 3,500+ parcel lockers in the UK, and our partnership with WHSmith marks another milestone for our business.
At InPost, we know that people are constantly looking for convenient and hassle-free services that fit around their busy lives and save them time. By joining forces with WHSmith, we are providing shoppers across the country with unparalleled convenience when it comes to collecting and returning their online orders or sending parcels.
By taking vans off the roads, our lockers can also reduce emissions in local areas, helping to create greener communities.”
Ian Sanders, group commercial development director, WHSmith, added, “At WHSmith, customer satisfaction is at the heart of everything we do, so we are excited to partner with InPost and introduce their parcel lockers into our High Street stores across the UK, providing a valuable and convenient service to our communities. InPost Lockers will help us offer our customers a convenient and accessible way to pick up, send and return their parcels as part of their daily routines when they come to our high street locations. We look forward to working with InPost to elevate our in-store proposition.”
The announcement follows InPost partnerships with other landlords including Westfield, Tesco and Transport for London (TfL).
Source : https://www.parcelandpostaltechnologyinternational.com/news/lockers-pudo/inpost- strikes-partnership-with-whsmith-for-indoor-parcel-locker-network.html
2. MVS Division settles two national disputes with USPS management June 16, 2022
The Motor Vehicle Division recently settled two national disputes that had significant impact on MVS members.
USPS/APWU Case Q15V-4Q-C 19224673/HQTV20190130 addressed the pay anomalies that can occur when a Postal Support Employee (PSE) is hired with a salary exception for a higher salary rate than is authorized on the Article 9 Postal pay scale.
Although the parties had previously addressed many issues with PSE salary exceptions and the problems that impact not only the PSE’s but also that could potentially affect career employees who were not hired with salary exceptions and were making less than junior PSEs with salary exceptions.
The pay anomaly in this dispute occurs when a PSE with a salary exception is converted to a level-8 career position, bids down to a level-7 position and subsequently bids back up to the higher level. Often the former PSE’s salary would exceed the salary of senior level-8 employees who hadn’t had a change of level. This settlement establishes that this MOU, and the previous PSE Salary Exception MOUs take precedence over the promotion language in ELM Chapter 422.125. It also includes the make-whole provision for any employees who were senior and being paid less than the PSEs with salary exceptions who were subsequently converted to career.
USPS/APWU Case 6X 18C-6X-C 22072308/HQTV20220003 concerned the maximization of part time flexible employees to full time. In 2021 the USPS realigned their internal structure and assigned their Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) and other transportation operations to the Logistics Department.
An unintended consequence of this realignment was that, because of the eliminating of and the establishing of different finance numbers, the maximization activity for the previous 6- month period was lost.
The maximization criteria is when an employee works 39 or more hours a week for 6 months, the senior employee on the part time flexible rolls should be converted to full time status. This language can be found in Article 7.3.B and relevant MOUs.
This settlement is intended for the local union and management to review the maximization information and determine what entitlements are necessary to identify and make the appropriate employees whole.
If the local parties cannot agree on any portions of the corrective entitlements, the issues in disagreement should be identified and those issue(s) should be referred to the APWU national and USPS headquarters parties for resolution. Although in many installations, the senior PTF has already been converted to full time status, local leadership should ensure that the conversion was timely and the identified employee(s) was made whole.
Source : https://apwu.org/news/mvs-division-settles-two-national-disputes-usps-management
3. Vietnam Posts and Enterprise des Posts Lao signed a MOU to promote cooperation in postal sector June 15, 2022
On June 10, 2022 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), Mr. Chu Quang Hao, President and CEO of Vietnam Post and Mr. Vienthone LUANGXAY, President of Enterprise des Posts Lao signed a MOU to promote cooperation in the postal sector with the witness of Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and Laos Minister of Technology and Communications Boviengkham Vongdara.
Mr. Chu Quang Hao, President and CEO of Vietnam Post and Mr. Vienthone LUANGXAY, President of Enterprise des Posts Lao signed a MOU
MOU marks the next phase of cooperation between the two sides since the signing of MOU within Vietnam Post’s high-level visit in 2017 in Lao People's Democratic Republic to adapt the rapid change of the postal market, trends and customer needs in the new context, Vietnam Post and Enterprise des Posts Lao have revised and agreed on the scope of cooperation in the main areas including:
§ Bilateral business development in letter-post, parcel-post, EMS, E-packet support for e- commerce and logistics Services to meet new trend and customer demands.
§ Cooperating in the development of postal services by road via Viet Nam – Lao border gates in accordance with the regulations of UPU, ASEAN on postal operation, EDI transmission and international payment.
§ Promoting bilateral cooperation in postal financial services, postage stamp services.
§ Studying and cooperating to promote digital transformation in postal field.
§ Cooperating in training and staff exchange.
The two sides affirmed to tighten the close and effective bilateral cooperation relationship and expect comprehensive development in the fields of cooperation; co- research and implement solutions to boost inbound and outbound postal volume; concretize potential business development opportunities to meet customer needs for e-commerce delivery services in Asean Post and Asia. In addition, the two sides research and promote cooperation in the field of postal financial services to exploit the potential demand of the Vietnamese and Laotian communities living and working in each country, developing joint-marketing and market research programs; training and exchanging staff. Vietnam Post affirms to continuously support and share the experience about operational reform, quality service enhancement, technological applications into operational process.
Within the framework of a business trip to Vietnam from June 9-12, 2022, the high-ranking delegations of the Ministry of Technology and Communications of Laos and Enterprise des Posts Lao also had a on-site visit at the Post Office of Ninh Binh province.
Source : http://www.vnpost.vn/en-us/bai-viet/chi-tiet/id/96012/key/vietnam-posts-and- enterprise-des-posts-lao-signed-a-mou-to-promote-cooperation-in-postal-sector
