Trucks, planes and kitchen rolls

I was trudging around the supermarket in a gormless state last night – wandering up and down the never-ending array of identical aisles wondering whether buying a multi pack of kitchen rolls (or kitchen towels for our American readers) was indeed better value than purchasing them in singular form – when two things sprang into my mind: a)  Why would I need eight kitchen rolls? I live alone. I’m not a messy person.

b)  Why am I more worried about the price of said kitchen rolls over the more pressing issue of whether they are made from recycled paper?

Ah, the green question. The environment. Climate change. Championed by some, laughed at by others. Only a few days ago I witnessed Edouard Dayan, UPU director general, press home the message that the postal industry should act as an inspiration to the world leaders who will gather in Copenhagen in December at the UN climate change conference. Dayan was quick to highlight the importance of the UPU’s “Seal the Deal” campaign and a number of the major Posts’ leaders joined him by signing a banner of support, which will greet Obama and co. upon arrival in the Danish capital.

It’s a worthy campaign, the sooner major companies (and not necessarily just in the postal and express sectors) put solid, meaningful, programmes in place the better. Many people doubt whether these green agendas – advertised to the world – are just marketing ploys, and that behind the glamorous presentations and carbon statistics there is no real intent to deliver sustainable results. But, as a journalist that receives dozens of news stories a day (paperless, of course), it does seem that we, as an industry, are heading in the right direction – and so we should be, taking for granted our sector is largely operated by planes, cars, vans, ships and trucks – a key contributor to climate change.

Post&Parcel has run stories in recent times on solar panel roofs, electric vehicles, lower emission planes, more sustainable machinery, greener technologies, recycled packaging, and so on and so forth – so it seems that the green agendas are not just hot air (excuse the pun). There is a desire to be better. There is intent to be greener. There is real purpose to these sustainable agendas.

When the world leaders gather in Denmark the postal industry can be proud that it is, despite being a little slow on the uptake, now leading the green revolution. Hopefully this will not only have a positive effect on the political elite as they sit down together in December, but on each individual associated with our industry too. It already has on some – I bought the recycled kitchen roll.

Chris Dolan.

Are the postal and express industries doing enough in the fight against climate change? Will the UPU’s banner make a difference in Copenhagen? Share your thoughts below.