Sustainable logistics: Business value from climate data
E-commerce and logistics leaders must now prove climate results, not just claim them. This article shows the climate and reporting data behind PostNord's network, and how to use it in your own business case.
Sustainable logistics is now a must for business, especially in the Nordics. There, emissions reports and climate checks sit at the center of daily work. For sustainable logistics companies, clean data is part of the service. PostNord has cut emissions, earned third-party validation for its climate targets, and gives partners clear, market-specific data for sustainability in logistics and reporting.
Through continued investments in fossil-free transport, smarter logistics solutions, and climate-focused innovation, PostNord is demonstrating that lower-emission logistics can scale while maintaining high service performance. This provides businesses with the insights they need to make informed delivery choices and support their own sustainability goals.
Why this matters for your business
If you ship into or across Sweden, Denmark, Norway, or Finland, your delivery partner affects more than cost. In sustainable shipping in the Nordics, it can shape scope 3 emissions reports, customer expectations, and board-level disclosures.
A logistics partner that gives clear, checked numbers is no longer a nice extra. It is part of how you run the business.
PostNord has spent five years building this data set. Below is what it looks like in practice, and what it can mean for your operations.
Sustainability in logistics: the numbers
- 47% cut in total GHG emissions since 2020
- More than 50% of transport is now fossil-free
- 2040 net-zero target, validated by SBTi
Targets and third-party validation
These are not internal guesses. PostNord's updated climate targets - a 45 percent absolute cut in scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 2030, against a 2020 base, and net zero by 2040 - have been checked by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the independent group that tests company climate targets against current climate science.
Under the net-zero promise, no more than 10 percent may come from carbon removal. The rest must come from real measured cuts.
Why this matters for your reporting
If your business must report scope 3 (supply chain) emissions under CSRD or similar rules, working with a logistics partner that publishes third-party checked, market-specific data makes that reporting faster and easier to defend than using broad industry averages.
What is driving the cut
Progress is not the same across the Nordics, and that is by design. PostNord's Green Technology Roadmap is updated every year with market-specific investment guidance. It matches the right fuel or drivetrain to each country's grid, fuel access, and policy mix:
- Sweden - fastest progress, helped by strong biofuel access and the shift to electric light vehicles.
- Denmark - policy support makes electric trucks the most cost-effective option for heavy transport.
- Norway - biogas is the top choice for heavy vehicles.
- Finland - a balanced mix of electricity, HVO, and biogas.
Heavy-duty electric trucks now run in all four Nordic countries. PostNord also works with subcontractors that carry a large share of total volume, helping them switch to electric at a similar pace. The target only works if the wider transport network moves too.
Proof in practice: Apotea
Apotea, Sweden's largest online pharmacy, works with PostNord to run electric trucks on both first-mile and mid-mile transport from its logistics hub in Morgongåva.
That creates a fossil-free chain from warehouse to terminal, plus a circular return-logistics model that cuts driven kilometers. The result is high delivery performance and a lower carbon footprint at scale, not just in a pilot.
Independent recognition, not just self-reporting
PostNord's climate work has also earned outside recognition:
- Named one of the Financial Times' European Climate Leaders
- Winner in the sustainability category at the EY Nordic Risk Transformation Awards
- Industry winner in the Sustainable Brand Index for Sweden — Europe's largest independent brand study on sustainability
For a business choosing a delivery partner, that outside validation turns a climate claim into something you can use in supplier due-diligence files.
What this means for your business
Whether you are entering a new Nordic market or tuning an existing delivery setup, the climate side is not separate from the commercial choice. It feeds it directly.
- Market-specific emissions and fossil-free transport data to support your own supply chain reporting.
- A delivery partner whose climate targets are externally checked, which cuts your due-diligence work.
- Proof in practice - not just targets - that high service levels and low emissions can scale together.
- An annual roadmap, so the data you use keeps up with policy and tech changes across markets.
Build sustainability into your logistics strategy
Talk to a PostNord advisor about the emissions data, reporting, and delivery options available for your business. Our team is ready to help - request a quote!