Royal Mail's Partnership to Cut Supply Chain Emissions

British postal service Royal Mail is collaborating with sustainability solutions provider Watershed to measure and reduce its emissions.

This collaboration is designed to align Royal Mail's operations with its ambitious decarbonisation strategy, aiming to reach net zero by 2040.

Ellen McCormack, Head of Europe at Watershed, explains: "It is a privilege to work with Royal Mail to help measure the postal service’s carbon footprint and, ultimately, execute on its climate goals.

“Royal Mail is a leader in decarbonising the logistics sector and, together with Watershed’s data measurement and management, our potential impact on the industry’s sustainability progress is huge.”

The partnership: empowering sustainable action 

This collaboration sets a new benchmark for emissions management within the logistics sector.

Watershed provides Royal Mail with high-resolution emissions data, crucial for meeting the disclosure demands of customers, regulators, stakeholders and investors.

With supply chain emissions constituting 66% its environmental impact, data can help Royal Mail to make a big difference.

It can also support the company in improving its engagement with suppliers, thereby amplifying emissions reduction and pinpointing pivotal actions to advance decarbonisation across the entire supply chain.

Watershed crafted a draft carbon footprint that featured more than 3,000 suppliers and vendors for Royal Mail. This was populated using public reports to make 10% of Royal Mail’s supplier data automatically available.

The information will provide Royal Mail with granular insights to discover the best methods for supply chain decarbonisation and help suppliers to report their own sustainability progress.

Royal Mail’s sustainability goals

Royal Mail has consistently demonstrated its dedication to sustainability.

It has the largest fleet of electric delivery vans - more than 5,000 - and a commitment to 100% renewable energy purchases. 

The organisation's 'Steps to Zero' strategy is comprehensive.

It focuses on resource efficiency, employing principles of decarbonisation and the circular economy, aiming for a net zero by 2040.

The collaboration with Watershed plays a crucial role in this vision, providing actionable data and facilitating strategic supplier collaborations essential for tracking emissions and progressing towards sustainability targets. 

The future of sustainable logistics 

The combined efforts of Royal Mail and Watershed are set to boost the low-carbon logistics landscape by embedding supplier engagement deeply into emission reduction strategies.

This initiative hopes to create benchmarks for emissions transparency, showcasing real-time tracking capabilities that can be a template for others in the industry.

This partnership also gives Royal Mail vital tools to pinpoint areas where emissions can be effectively reduced, such as increasing the use of renewable energy, expanding electric vehicle fleets and incorporating alternative fuels and sustainable packaging solutions into its operations.

Miles Durrant, Head of Climate Strategy & Circular at Royal Mail, says: “Watershed enables Royal Mail to access granular insights to engage with our diverse range of suppliers and plan emissions reductions. Watershed helps us understand which actions will be most effective for reaching our net zero 2040 goal."

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