Athlone Mail Centre central to An Post achieving 50% CO2 target early

An Post said the Athlone Mail Centre has been instrumental to its achievement of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions, which was reached three months ahead of schedule.

This milestone comes after the company transitioned its fleet of over 200 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), cutting 6,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

The local centre played a key role, with the company saying it invested €360,000 in HVO fuelling infrastructure across its Athlone, Dublin and Portlaoise mail centres.

An Post said its green shift had also contributed to Ireland’s largest electric vehicle (EV) fleet, with over half of its delivery routes now electrified. This has resulted in cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable operations for the Midlands and beyond.

The €200 million Green Light Strategy is positioning An Post to achieve net zero emissions by 2030, with further investments in EVs and renewable fuel planned.

Commenting on An Post’s achievement of the 50% reduction target, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, said: “I am delighted An Post has reached such a significant milestone and is using its growing electric fleet to drive delivery of parcels, letters and transformative change in environmental sustainability on the path to net zero.”

Minister of State with responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue, added: “I warmly welcome An Post’s excellent achievement, and I welcome the ambition to achieve net zero by 2030.

"I recognise that An Post and the post office network provide an excellent service and value to communities, and An Post is now also creating a cleaner, quieter, and healthier environment.”

An Post's original target of a 50% CO2 emissions reduction by 2030 was set in 2017; however, in 2021, An Post brought forward this target to the end of 2025, reflecting the urgency of delivering climate action and demonstrating its commitment to pursuing Ireland's sustainability goals.

Through a €100m investment to decarbonise its operation, more than half of An Post’s delivery routes are now electrified by the nation’s largest electric vehicle fleet.

This 50% milestone has been achieved despite a 300% increase in parcels, from 20 million delivered in 2009 to 78 million this year, representing 1.25 million extra parcels delivered each week.