What is the environmental impact of sending that package, this letter, dropping it off here or picking it up there? Now, La Poste France customers can find out with the post’s new Ecological Score tool on its e-commerce site.
“For more than 20 years now, La Poste has been committed to socially and environmentally responsible work,” said Sandrine Neveu, La Poste France’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager. “We set ourselves an ambitious goal: to reduce La Poste’s negative impact on the environment and be a force for change, by supporting individual and business customers in acting more responsibly and pursuing a more sustainable world.”When using the Ecological Score tool, customers answer a series of questions regarding 10 steps in the shipping process, from packing and sorting to delivery and returns. These areas impact gas emissions, air pollutant emissions, and packaging eco-design and recyclability.
Once completed, customers will receive a grade from A to E. Advice is given to help improve scores, such as encouraging sustainable or previously used packaging, reducing empty space in parcels, and choosing public transportation rather than driving to delivery or pickup locations, according to Judith Dessay, Customer Experience Manager.
“The app shows real innovation from La Poste, and we are currently the only provider in the delivery market to offer such a tool,” she said.
The Ecological Score is just one of many efforts by the post to address environmental concerns. The post has already reduced the carbon footprint of its parcel transport and delivery services by 32 percent, and aims for zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030, which is in line with the Paris Agreement, Neveu said.
There have been 250,000 visits to the Ecological Score app since late January 2022, according to Dessay. The majority of participants, 63 percent, received a B; 26 percent received an A; 6 percent received a C; 3 percent received a D; and 2 percent received an E.
She said customer response to the Ecological Score has been positive. “Great initiative,” one customer told the post. “Bravo for your innovative and educational work,” said another.
The ecological score is expected to evolve and grow, for example, to include international services, as well as new environmental impact indicators as they arise.
“We were surprised how little awareness our private customers had of the environmental impact of their activities with La Poste, and how surprised they were to discover that by making alternative choices, they could help protect our planet,” Dessay said. “We have therefore reached our aim of providing an educational tool.”