Parcel shipping with GLS means sustainable shipping.

With GLS ClimateProtect we deliver parcels climate-neutral through compensation - in Austria as well as abroad. This means, that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by parcel transport and our other business activities are fully offset.
To achieve this, we support various certified climate protection projects in cooperation with ClimatePartner.

Climate-neutral shipping with GLS

Shipping with us means climate-neutral shipping. Doing that, you not only contribute to enviromental protection, but also bind your customers to your company.

Protecting the enviroment is becoming more and more important nowadays - not only in the private but also in the business sector, as not only customers expect more sustainability, but also demands placed on ourselves and our own company are constantly growing. A forceful step towards meeting these expectations is the CO2-neutral shipping of your parcels.

Hand in hand for sustainable shipping

GLS customers demand sustainable parcel logistics and are ready to take responsibility for climate protection.

GLS Austria ClimateProtect emblem

Your ClimateProtect emblem

With the ClimateProtect emblem you show that you as a GLS business customer value sustainable parcel shipping. You may use the emblem for your own communication.

Please get in touch with your contact at GLS. Our colleague will gladly support you in receiving the ClimateProtect emblem.

GLS Austria ClimateProtect certificate

Your ClimateProtect certificate

As a business customer, you can receive an annual ClimateProtect certificate as proof of sustainable shipping. This way you can visibly prove your commitment to sustainable parcel shipping.

Please get in touch with your contact at GLS. Our colleague will gladly support you in receiving the ClimateProtect certificate.

GLS eVan in the country side GLS eVan in the country side

ClimacteProtect: Sustainable shipping based on two pillars

Compensating all of our emissions which cannot be avoided is one pillar, avoiding and continuously reducing is the other pillar of sustainable shipping.

We invest in sustainability

Our various investments in all company areas focus on energy efficiency, use of renewable energies and avoidance of negative impacts. Economy, ecology and social are in alignment.

Christian Schöninger, Managing Director at GLS Austria

We are comitted in creating an organization that meets all the needs of the world around us. Our goal is to achieve economic sussess in a sustainable manner and in connection with the protection of our enviroment. Not only do we owe this to future generations, it is genuinely the least we can do for them.

Christian Schöninger, Managing Director at GLS Austria

Our investments in sustainability

Depots and infrastructure

We explicitly consider ecological and social aspects in all new buildings, replacements and extensions. For environmentally friendly equipment, we invest on a broad scale in modern, environmentally friendly techniques. The use of rainwater, photovoltaics, recyclable building materials, heat pumps as well as efficient lighting technology and thermally insulated buildings play an important role. In all GLS Germany locations we use 100% green electricity from renewable energy sources.

Transitioning the vehicle fleet towards eMobility

We aim to gradually switch the entire fleet to zero-emission and low-emission vehicles – our transport partners’ fleet as well as our own company car fleet.

Moreover, we establish the necessary charging infrastructure in our depots for the continuous electric vehicles transition.

Local micro depots

In order to optimize transport processes in city logistics and to promote emission-free delivery in city centers, we are setting up micro depots. From here, emission-free e-vehicles go on delivery tours. This saves transport routes, reduces noise and thus protects people and the environment.

Minimizing transport routes

To improve operating processes and transport routes, we count on state-of-the-art, IT-assisted planning instruments. This is how we manage to systematically minimize our transport routes and thus to avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

GLS_Austria_Great_Place_to_work

EcoVadis Gold Status

After having achieved EcoVadis Silver status in 2020, we have now been awarded with the Gold medal.

This means we have further improved our result and our efforts to protect the environment has now placed us among the top 7% of companies in the postal, courier and freight transport industry assessed by EcoVadis within the Environmental category.

Eco Vadis

EcoVadis is a recognised sustainability rating platform, that evaluates companies' sustainability commitments by using standardised questionnaires and research. For the award, Eco Vadis examines a number of key figures like environment, sustainable procurement, ethics and labor and human rights.

 
Clemens Prast, Director Finance & Administration at GLS Austria

As a global parcel service, we are fully aware of our responsibility towards environment and society. Accordingly, we focus on environmental compatibility and future orientation with all purchases, be it in the area of facility management or company vehicles. We will continue to do so to create sustainable conditions for the future.

Clemens Prast, Director Finance & Administration at GLS Austria

Sustainable city logistics

Through innovative and smart solutions and the use of e-vehicles, we are actively relieving the stress on urban infrastructures and at the same time are reducing emissions throughout the last mile. In this regard we play a special pioneering role and are permanently increasing the number of our e-vehicles.

GLS relies on photovoltaics

GLS relies on photovoltaics

We rely on local power generation and therefore use the roofs of our depots for photovoltaic systems.

The use of sunligth not only enables us to be as self-sufficient as possible, but furthermore also reduces our CO2 footprint.

eDelivery on the rise

eDelivery on the rise

With the gradual conversion to environmental friendly vehicles, we are continuing to reduce the fuel gas emissions of our fleet.

For sustainable and efficient delivery, we are increasingly using eBikes and eScooters in larger cities.

Energy saving measures

Energy saving measures

The entire GLS workforce has actively commited itself to energy-saving behaviour and sustainabe use of resources.

Tips and tricks for saving energy are implemented both in offices and in all our depots.

 

These projects ensure climate compensation

Depsite all efforts, an emission-free parcel logistics unfortunately can't be implemented at this point of time. For this reason, we have chosen in cooperation with CimatePartner four certified and internationally recognized climate projects in which we invest .

Climate-neutral are companies, processes and products whose greenhouse gas emissions have been calculated and offset by supporting internationally recognized climate protection projects. Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions is an important step in holistic climate protection, alongside avoidance and reduction.

The emissions caused by parcel transport and business activities along our whole value chain are offset by certified climate protection projects in cooperation with our compensation partner ClimatePartner. Currently we support four VCS/CCBS- and Gold Standard-certified projects in South America and India.

Climate protection projects require four criteria: Additionality, no double counting, permanent savings and regular independent verification.

The criteria of additionality is not met for many projects in the EU because various funding programmes already cover the economic aspects of e.g. the expansion of renewable energies.

Double counting can only be avoided if it is ensured that the savings of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by a project are not already counted elsewhere. Savings achieved in the EU are usually directly accounted towards a country's national greenhouse gas balance and thus only contribute to achieving the climate targets of the respective country and the EU.

Eberhard Thiele, Director Sales & Marketing

The discrepancy between economic and climate-friendly decisions often seems insurmountable, nevertheless is essential to meet both requirements equally, as it is the only way to achive sustainability. Climate-neutral shipping unfortunately increased our costs and thus our prices. But even if it seems a lot at first sight and has a significant impact, in the long term it is an inevitable investment in the future of our planet.

Eberhard Thiele, Director Sales & Marketing

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Sustainable shipping with GLS

With GLS you send your parcels sustainably. In doing so, you not only make a contribution to environmental protection. As a business customer, you also bind customers to your company.

Our certifications

Transparent all round: we meet international standards and disclose environmental data. With the certifications of our environmental and quality management, our voluntary commitment in EcoVadis and the GPD certification, we demonstrate: We always want to get better.

Social responsibility

For us, sustainability also means assuming social responsibility. Here you can find out how we work for people and society.