The new Albert Jackson Processing Centre is Canada Post’s first net-zero carbon building and the largest industrial project in Canada to meet the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building design standard, to keep pace with the growing e-commerce economy with an emphasis on sustainability.Supplied
With a presence in communities across the country, Canada Post has significant responsibility to take on a leadership position in the transition to net zero. And as such a large organization, this means analyzing the environmental impact across all areas of the company.
“We’re committed to protecting the environment for future generations,” says Carrie Chisholm, VP, Environmental, Social and Governance, Canada Post. “Transitioning to a low-carbon operating model is part of our multifaceted environmental sustainability strategy.”
Canada Post has plotted a route to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 2050 (from a 2019 base year), which represents a 90 per cent absolute reduction in scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Along the way, milestones ensure the organization is on track to reach this ambitious target, Ms. Chisholm explains. “By 2030, we aim to reduce our operating emissions – scope 1 and 2 – by 50 per cent and ensure 90 per cent of our electricity consumption is from renewable and zero-carbon resources. We’ll divert 90 per cent of both non-hazardous operational waste and construction waste from landfills and ensure at least 50 per cent recycled content in plastic packaging. We will also electrify 100 per cent of our last-mile fleet by 2040.”
The comprehensive approach to achieving net zero includes fleet electrification, sustainable facilities, sustainable shipping and packaging, less waste and renewable energy.
Sustainable facilities
A significant milestone was realized with the 2023 opening of the new Albert Jackson Processing Centre, Canada Post’s first net-zero carbon building and the largest industrial project in Canada to meet the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building design standard, to keep pace with the growing e-commerce economy with an emphasis on sustainability.
The same year, the organization installed solar panels at five different facilities across the country, including in Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia, with most of the generated and captured power going back into the grid.
“Going forward, we’ll continue investing in reducing our own footprint, including retrofitting over 3,000 buildings, and helping Canadian retailers to reduce theirs,” she says. “The goal is to demonstrate that this can be done and inspire others to follow suit.”
Canada Post is completing phase 1 of retrofitting its buildings to be more sustainable – through energy-efficient lights, cleaner fuel for heating, automated centralized control of heating, cooling and lighting as well as solar power generation – an effort that started in 2021, says Ms. Chisholm. “Phase 2, from 2023 to 2025, continues the path to fuel conversion of heating systems from natural gas or fuel oil to clean electricity, with either full electrification and 90 per cent emissions reduction or, in some cases, with a hybrid solution by keeping the natural gas as a backup and achieving a 60 per cent reduction.”
Sustainable shipping and packaging, waste reduction
In 2023, Canada Post introduced carbon-neutral ground shipping to provide Canadian businesses with sustainable shipping options for their e-commerce deliveries in the short term, with a longer-term plan in place to achieve the net-zero target by 2050.
“We purchase carbon offsets – currently supporting the Great Bear Forest Carbon Project – in amounts equivalent to the emissions related to our ground shipping services,” Ms. Chisholm notes. “The carbon offsets, which do not count towards our emissions reduction targets, are a complement to our long-term sustainability strategy and represent a short-term solution to offer retailers a sustainable shipping option.”
While Canada Post’s Priority, Xpresspost and poly-mailer bags are already made with 75 per cent recycled content, the organization continues to “push the limits of plastics reduction by introducing paper-based alternatives,” says Ms. Chisholm.
An overall emphasis on the circular economy inspires an approach that “balances sustainability with performance and functionality,” she says. “We aim to use fewer – and preferably recyclable – materials to do the same job. We also want to ensure that once they’ve served their purpose, these materials can be reused or recycled.”
Canada Post has worked with its suppliers to eliminate plastics such as shrink wrap that is commonly used as an outer packaging layer. This collaborative approach has led to the removal of plastic from products such as packing tape, shipping boxes and prepaid Xpresspost envelopes.
“These initiatives have eliminated approximately 98 tonnes from our operations since 2020, and we continue to roll out our zero-waste strategy at 10 more plants and 68 depots and two head-office buildings,” says Ms. Chisholm, adding that an example of impact comes from Calgary, where Canada Post achieved its waste reduction target of 90 per cent in 2023.
Renewable energy
As of January 2024, Canada Post has made the switch to clean electricity in Alberta and Saskatchewan, with consumption in each province now over 90 per cent renewable, a considerable achievement in provinces that have respectively the dirtiest and second dirtiest grids in Canada.
For Canada Post, this represents a significant reduction in scope 2 emissions across the country, says Ms. Chisholm. “This means that our operations now run on mainly zero carbon electricity in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. We are also partnering with the federal government to transition to renewable energy usage in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
“We’re well on our way to minimize our impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, waste and the use of natural resources, but more work needs to be done,” she adds. “We hope to set an example and implement solutions so other organization can follow in our footsteps.”
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications with Canada’s Clean50. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.