Muscat: The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has said that several measures have been taken to reduce carbon emissions in the logistics and postal sector.
Last week, TRA published the results of the public consultation on environmental sustainability initiatives for postal services.
The report revealed that companies operating in the postal sector have agreed to convert 50 percent of delivery vehicles into environmentally friendly by 2040 while 60 percent of companies have expressed readiness to purchase electric vehicles.
The measures from the government include issuing directives related to environmental initiatives for the sector, coordinating with authorities to work on setting environmental standards and goals for the logistics sector, intensifying environmental awareness in the sector, and cooperating with various sectors to work on joint environmental initiatives.
Other proposals include the availability of electric vehicles on a rental basis, especially for the use of last-mile delivery operations, steps such as solar panels in parking lots, drone delivery, paper recycling, and saving water and electricity.
The TRA will also seek to coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT) on environmental initiatives for the transport sector by supporting infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The postal sector will be encouraged to use bicycles and electrical vehicles with battery charging stations.
It may be noted that several companies have switched from paper to online invoices, apart from implementing digital payment solutions to reduce the use of paper.
Globally, according to the International Post Corporation (IPC), over 50 percent of users are willing to accept slower deliveries for less polluting alternatives, as consumers become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of delivery.
According to Green Postal Day, in response to the growing consumer demand for solutions with a low environmental impact, post offices are collectively aiming for a minimum of 50 percent of their fleet to be powered by alternative fuel vehicles.
In addition, post offices have reduced their yearly carbon emissions by over 30 percent as well as their electricity use by 30 percent.
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