Is there any difference environmentally in sending the same item second class, first class, or by special delivery?
Jennifer Roberts, Bristol Royal Mail says there is only a minuscule difference between the delivery methods it offers as all are sent within its “universal service”. In other words, the “vans, planes and bicycles” (Royal Mail was criticised in 2003 for stopping “rail mail”) are going on that journey anyway, regardless of whether or not your letter or parcel is onboard. Sending something special delivery, say, simply means you are jumping the queue. The same is true with international post, as it “piggybacks” on scheduled flights. Only in the exceptionally rare case – say, to an isolated croft on the far side of a Hebridean isle – might a van be sent out just to meet the commitment of delivering your item on time, if you have paid extra for this service. Each year, the Royal Mail publishes the total tonnage of carbon dioxide it emits transporting post. In 2005/06, the figure was 495,567 tonnes – a small decrease from the year before – with its road fleet accounting for 82% of the total.
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