bpost: digitalisation delivers very clear sustainability gains
bpost is switching to digital failed delivery notifications throughout Belgium following a successful trial.
bpost’s postwomen and men will no longer leave a paper failed delivery notification if customers are not home to take receipt of a parcel. Instead, customers will receive this notification by email or in the My bpost-app. That means that all communications from order confirmation to parcel delivery will now be fully digital. This initiative is a further expression of bpost’s engagement to offer sustainable e-commerce logistics solutions.
Jos Donvil, CEO of bpost Belgium: “Digitalization delivers very clear sustainability gains. The huge number of paper failed delivery notifications will be replaced by digital notifications. The message remains the same, only the way it is conveyed is changing. Customers who buy products online already have to register an email address and are kept up to date on the status of their order by email or in the app. Switching the failed delivery notification to these digital channels is the logical next step.”
Virtually all communications received by customers who buy products online are sent through digital channels. However, a paper notification will be left if bpost does not have a valid email address for the customer, so it will not disappear completely. Paper notifications will continue to be used for failed deliveries of registered mail and for parcels that are sent by private individuals rather than an online store.
bpost investing to make its business even more sustainable
The entire e-commerce value chain has an environmental impact. Digital failed delivery notifications will be standard for the vast majority of customers, slashing paper consumption by 97%. The lower paper consumption, along with other initiatives such as emission-free delivery of mail, recycled packaging and carbon-neutral buildings, is enabling bpost to make its business even more sustainable.
Phased rollout through to September
Digital failed delivery notifications will be used nationwide by September. New regions will be switched to the new system every month. A meticulous month-long preparatory process will be followed in each region, during which time customers will be fully informed about the new approach. And all postwomen and men will be given dedicated training to ensure they know the new procedure inside out.
