New pilot project: digital failed delivery notice for parcels
The postwoman/man notifies all receivers exclusively by email in Tessenderlo and in Chastre.
Friday 31 March 2023bpost today launches a pilot project in two Belgian municipalities. When arriving at a front door to deliver a parcel and the addressee is not home the postwoman/man will no longer put a printed failed delivery notice through the letterbox. As from now, customers will only receive an e-mail. The initiative is part of bpost’s commitment to working in an ever more sustainable way by reducing its paper consumption.
Not home when a parcel is delivered? In most cases, the postwoman/man will put a printed failed delivery notifice through the letterbox. While these notifications are convenient, they do have an impact on the environment. In Tessenderlo and Chastre bpost is launching a pilot project to make the delivery process more sustainable. Now, postwomen/men will only put a printed notification through the letterbox if email is not an option. This will cut the use of printed failed delivery notifications by 90%.
Sustainability is an important ambition, but the pilot project also fits in with the continued optimisation and digitisation of the various processes at bpost. The big advantage of digital communication is that addressees always receive the more extensive and up-to-date information about their parcel.
For now only addressees who have registered their delivery preferences will receive digital notifications. Some 3.4 million Belgians have already registered their delivery preferences, such as a safe place, a neighbour, a pick-up point or a parcel locker, in the My bpost app or on the website. In the pilot project areas (Tessenderlo and Chastre), addressees who have not registered their delivery preferences will also receive digital notifications.
The pilot project will be extended to a number of larger municipalities within a few months. If the pilot project goes successfully, the process could be rolled out across the country for both parcels and registered mail next year.
“In digitising failed delivery notifications, bpost is taking a further step towards greener parcel deliveries,” says Chris Vansnick, Director Sustainability bpostgroup. “bpost wants to make a difference in terms of sustainability by adopting more and more eco-friendly initiatives.”
bpost, setting the benchmark in sustainability
Every day bpost transports more than half a million parcels. The entire value chain at e-commerce companies like bpost has an impact on nature. bpost aims to make a positive contribution to combatting climate change by significantly reducing its carbon footprint. The company has set ambitious science-based targets (SBT), with a 55% reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions and a 14% reduction in scope 3 emissions by 2030. Various initiatives have been adopted across the company to achieve these targets, including the green transformation of its fleet and the installation of solar panels, as well as the creation of Ecozones and zero-emission delivery areas. Avoiding missed deliveries with solutions like an extensive network of pick-up points also has positive effects for the environment.
