GLS Group provides reliable and high-quality parcel services. In order to continue to guarantee this, the conservation of resources and the reduction of our emissions are of central importance to us. Together with our employees, customers and suppliers, we want to become one of the leading providers of sustainable parcel services.

This Environmental Standard is binding for all GLS national companies. GLS Group is aware of the environmental impact resulting from the conduct of our business activities. Therefore, while we continue to strive for the highest quality in logistics, we focus our commitment on climate protection by reducing our consumption of resources and the associated emissions. We want to create holistic added value for our stakeholders and therefore recognize our obligation to constantly minimise negative impacts and report openly on our progress.

Due to our core business, parcel transport, the reduction of emissions from transport must be at the centre of our efforts. As part of our Group-wide environmental strategy, we are focusing on the conversion of our vehicle fleet to low and zero emission models and the introduction of alternative delivery concepts. We take a holistic approach to these challenges and seek solutions both within our corporate boundaries and together with our business partners. Another aspect of the initiative is the responsible use of resources at GLS locations. This includes the reduction of our water, paper and energy consumption as well as waste reduction and proper disposal.

We pool our resources and expertise to efficiently achieve the following ecological goals:

● To increasingly use alternative vehicles and city logistics concepts for parcel transport and to involve our transport partners in these activities.

● To continuously modernise the vehicle fleet for parcel transport and GLS company cars and make them more and more environmentally friendly.

● To continuously reduce resource consumption at our locations in relation to our parcel volume and to invest in environmentally friendly locations, e.g. through the use of photovoltaic systems.

● To avoid waste wherever possible and dispose of unavoidable waste properly.

● To continuously develop and improve our environmental management system (ISO 14001).

● To offer our customers climate-neutral shipping.

● To make sure that all employees and transport partners have full awareness of our responsibility through continuous instructions and trainings.

● To enter into partnerships for more sustainable parcel logistics.

● To constantly improve our efforts.

We are aware that the long-term transformation towards more sustainable business processes is related with high efforts and costs. We are willing to make substantial investments to achieve this and also consider the environmental effects as relevant decision criteria within our investment processes.

GLS Group is committed to minimising the negative environmental impact of its operations and to making continuous progress on environmental challenges in the interest of all its stakeholders. Therefore, we report transparently on our process to external and internal stakeholders in accordance with internationally recognised standards. It is our responsibility to guarantee a high quality of the published data and to constantly question existing processes in order to achieve progress.

This Environmental Standard is translated into concrete instructions for all national companies. For interested stakeholders, the Environmental Standard is available on all GLS Group and subsidiary websites.