May 9, 2008 - The Universal Postal Union (UPU), an international trade group, is working to slash greenhouse gas emissions generated by the world's postal services, beginning with a first-ever global assessment of the industry's carbon footprint.

UPU has partnered with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on the new initiative, which is set to survey 191 countries on their use of postal buildings and vehicles and the fuel economy of their mail-delivery fleets. Once a benchmark is set, UPU and UNEP will work with postal operators to cut greenhouse emissions and monitor the impact of their climate efforts from year to year.

According to conservative estimates, the postal sector employs more than five million staff at 660,000 post offices worldwide and uses more than 850,000 motorcycles, cars, vans, and trucks and hundreds of aircraft to deliver mail around the globe.