With the “pro clima” – Shipment service, customers demonstrate their commitment to protecting the climate for the future.
Marc Amstutz
Head of Corporate Environmental Responsibility
“pro clima” – Shipment
Eco-electricity is generated in biogas plants on Swiss farms – supported and co-financed by Swiss Post.
First Swiss Post climate protection project with Gold Standard
For “pro clima”– shipment, Swiss Post is now focusing on its own climate protection project “Eco-electricity from biogas plants on Swiss farms”. This was successfully validated by the Gold Standard Foundation in 2016.
The climate protection project “Eco-electricity from biogas plants on Swiss farms” was developed and funded by Swiss Post in collaboration with Genossenschaft Ökostrom-Schweiz and South Pole Group. Methane, a greenhouse gas produced by the storage of liquid manure and dung, is collected in small and medium-sized family-run biogas plants and used to generate eco-electricity and heat. This takes place in all regions of Switzerland to allow for decentralization and added value in rural areas.
In 2016, the Geneva-based Gold Standard Foundation, an internationally recognized certification organization, validated this Swiss Post climate protection project – the first in Switzerland. The Gold Standard is awarded only to projects that have been proven to reduce greenhouse gases while also benefiting the local environment and social interests of the population.
How does Swiss Post’s carbon-neutral “pro clima – Shipment” service work?
Independent external auditors calculate the CO2 saved by the biogas plants. For each tonne saved, CO2 emission reduction units are certified, which are bought by Swiss Post. These are then given up to the international registry and thus withdrawn from the market. Because these projects save the same amount of CO2 as is generated by the mailing of letters, parcels and goods, “pro clima” – Shipment consignments are carbon neutral. Thanks to very energy-efficient logistics, this is possible for Swiss Post customers with a “pro clima” surcharge of as little as five centimes per parcel. In addition, all addressed letters in Switzerland are carbon neutral, with Swiss Post assuming the “pro clima” surcharges.