Finland will soon be the first country in the world to receive all mail through carbon neutral delivery. Starting from next February, all letters, papers, packages and direct advertisements delivered by Posti will be carbon neutral. This feature will be automatically included in all products without any extra charges for customers.

"We believe that, despite an increase in electronic deliveries, paper communications will play an important part far into the future. At Itella, we will do our best to ensure that the carbon footprint of all Posti's paper deliveries and packages is as small as possible. The compensation of carbon emissions produced through deliveries is one part of the whole," says Hanna Kaustia, Director of Itella's Environmental Program.

"Because the products delivered by Posti are automatically carbon neutral, consumers can also have an impact through their choices. For example, you can make an eco-friendly choice through the Online Shop by selecting Posti as your package deliverer," Kaustia says. Until now, carbon neutral delivery has been available for an extra charge. In the future, this choice will be free of any extra charges.

Carbon neutral products supplement Itella's environmental program. The program aims at reducing carbon dioxide emissions in Itella's operations in a determined and continuous manner with an emphasis on improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable low-emission energy. For example, Itella has for long been using electric cars and mopeds, as well as biodiesel and natural gas cars in mail delivery and transportation. Itella's goal is to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by 2020 (compared to 2007, in relation to turnover).

"Achieving a true change in the carbon footprint produced by our operations demands challenging goals, clear indicators and innovations in order to reach our objectives. In addition, environmental measures need to be concrete and produce added value for our customers - both corporations and consumers," says Mikko Routti, Director of Finnish Business & Society.

"Itella's carbon neutral transportation makes it possible for its customer companies to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the entire delivery chain. This change enables a carbon-efficient delivery of important messages - also in paper format. For consumers, this means that they can choose between electronic and paper messages. In addition, this enables electronic trading with a clear conscience. Consumers can make purchases regardless of their place of residence or working hours, without driving to large shopping centers that are damaging to the environment. Itella's position as a forerunner helps Finland to rise towards the top of the EU and the world in carbon-efficient business operations," Routti says.

Mail delivery emissions are created through sorting, transportation and delivery. According to calculations, the delivery of a single letter produces an average of 21 grams of carbon dioxide emissions, corresponding to driving a 140 meter stretch by car with a carbon dioxide emission level of 150 grams per kilometer.

The first step towards carbon neutrality is the active reduction of CO2 emissions of mail deliveries through measures taken by Itella. The remaining emissions are compensated by taking part in climate projects that replace the use of fossil fuels and produce renewable energy through wind or biogas. This guarantees that a corresponding emission amount is reduced somewhere else.

Compensating emissions takes place in reliable and certified (Gold Standard) climate projects that include sites reviewed by an independent environmental certifier. For Itella, emissions being payable is a further incentive to reduce the level of emissions and energy consumption continuously caused by our own operations.

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