Our strategy and purpose
Our purpose is “to act for the common good and to improve the quality of life in Ireland, now and for generations to come”.
We recognise that An Post touches every county, community, household and business in Ireland: we are one of the country’s largest employers, with one of the largest vehicle fleets and with Ireland’s largest retail network, we are embedded in every community. It is because we know people and place in Ireland better than anyone else, that we are uniquely positioned to make a positive environmental and social impact, ensure equality for all and create everyday opportunities to make sustainable living commonplace for all citizens, communities and businesses.
Every day, sustainability informs all aspects of our business and enables us to deliver benefits to our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve. In particular, we are:
• Committing to support the Circular Economy transition in Ireland, acting as the key delivery channel within the resale market
• Revolutionising our operations to reduce waste, source sustainably and improve efficiency
• Collaborating and sharing what we have learned with others to ignite innovation
• Making a positive impact on our communities and our planet
• Leading the way in making sustainable living commonplace in Ireland.
UN sustainable development goals
Our steps to make a positive, community-wide impact are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Like other European postal operators, we are focussed on the five UN SDGs relevant to our sector, as we believe these are where we have the greatest capacity for impact and action (see our materiality assessment on page 63). These five SDGs guide the development of our sustainability strategy as making progress on climate action is not possible without taking care of our employees; investing in sustainable infrastructure; supporting and being part of sustainable communities; and adopting a circular economy business model.
By prioritising these, we can address the biggest challenges which face our business and will impact our future growth. Nonetheless we also understand the holistic and inter-connected nature of all seventeen Goals and remain committed to supporting the achievement of all of them.
