The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced new sustainability targets for the fiscal year 2030.
The plan, called "Delivering for America", focuses on initiatives to continue to reduce its $5bn operating costs and overhaul what it describes as "wasteful and unnecessary" operating activities that have been deployed for almost two decades.
USPS’s packaging goals focus on increasing the recycled content of packaging to 74% and package recyclability to 88%, and diverting 75% of its waste from landfills.
The broader aims of the independent federal organisation are a reduction of its regional and local network transportation costs by at least $2.5bn by aggregating volume in fewer facilities, moving mail and packages regionally to eliminate daily trips, and using less air transportation.
Other objectives to reduce processing, distribution and delivery costs by at least $2.5bn include in-sourcing previously outsourced operations, consolidating operations out of random buildings, modernising facilities, re-organising operating plans and schedules, adding more sorting equipment and increasing asset utilisation.
USPS postmaster general and CEO Louis DeJoy commented: "These new targets help advance our commitment to being the greenest way for customers to mail and ship across the country."
For the holiday season in 2023, USPS strategically invested in affordable shipping and improved packaging.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
