Australia Post has announced it is dropping its carbon neutral delivery target, despite its existing commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The national postal service will discontinue its certified program for carbon neutral deliveries as of August 12.
Customers received a letter from Australia Post informing them of the upcoming change, it said. 2GB.
“While we are proud of what we have achieved by investing in the program, the sustainability landscape has changed,” the letter reads.
Instead, Australia Post will continue to focus on its business emissions reduction targets, including achieving net zero.
Australia Post introduced carbon neutral delivery in 2019 as an environmentally friendly way to deliver parcels.
The program works by purchasing carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon credits are earned by carrying out activities that store, reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions.
The national postal service will abolish the certified program for carbon neutral deliveries on August 12 (stock image)
Each carbon credit represents one tonne of greenhouse gas emissions removed from the atmosphere.
An Australia Post spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the postal service remains committed to meeting its sustainability goals.
“Australia Post will focus on its own carbon reduction initiatives as a more effective strategy to reduce carbon emissions, rather than purchasing carbon offsets through the Carbon Neutral Delivery Program,” the spokesperson said.
‘We are proud of our approach to sustainability, as set out in our Sustainability Roadmap 2025. In addition, we were the first public company to target net zero emissions by 2050.’
Despite the move, Daily Mail Australia understands that no further changes will be made to Australia Post’s measures to reduce carbon emissions.
This includes their commitment to net zero and recycling of packaging and waste.
An Australia Post spokesperson said the organisation remains committed to its sustainability goals, including a target to reach net zero by 2050, despite the latest announcement (stock image)
The 2025 Sustainability Roadmap shows that Australia Post plans to achieve these goals by investing in renewable energy and expanding its range of sustainable packaging.
The federal government has committed to reducing emissions by 43 percent by 2030 as part of efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Experts warn that the country cannot meet this target unless emissions in the electricity sector are reduced.
Energy production, which involves burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, accounts for more than 30 percent of Australia’s emissions.
The government has set a target of 82 percent of the national electricity grid running on renewable energy sources by 2030.
Australia will also have to consider emissions from other sectors, such as transport and agriculture.
It is also recommended to improve vehicle efficiency standards by extending this regulation to trucks and buses. It is also recommended to encourage the use of electric vehicles.