Sustainable management of a company or public institution implies managing both the positive and negative social and environmental impacts of its activity, seeking to ensure long-term financial viability, maintain employment levels, and to make a positive contribution to society, now and in the future. It has been proven that this type of management makes for more resilient and competitive organisations. The Portuguese Postal Service, CTT, is the oldest ‘brand’ in the country and one of its best known and recognised.
Because of the range of tasks that make up its core business, both in Portugal and in Spain, the company’s human and material resources are huge: almost 13,000 workers and around 4000 company vehicles, which cover more than 66 million kilometres per year in order to transport and deliver mail, packages and express deliveries (and twice the distance again if you count third party deliveries undertaken by the company).
CTT thus understand Sustainability as a central issue in its development strategy, and has done for many years. As an example, CTT has been using electric vehicles to move both goods and people since 1999, making the company a pioneer in this aspect. There are also many mail deliverers that complete their routes on foot or on bicycle, a practice that is over 100 years old.
Currently, there are more than 600 environmentally friendly vehicles circulating with the CTT brand on them, making it the largest alternative fleet in Portugal in the area of Transportation and Distribution. A company with such tradition and relevance in the country must be an agent in the transition to a low-carbon economy, and the goal of the Portuguese Postal Service is to continue to grow and accelerate its fleet of 100% electric deliveries.
CTT also has a fundamental challenge to maximise the positive impact of its operations on the population it serves. With one of the largest networks of contact points distributed throughout the country, from the mainland to the islands, and also in Spain, and with a team of employees that distribute and deliver post in direct physical contact with the population, CTT is a factor of territorial integrity, with an important role in combating abandonment and isolation in rural areas, and in proximity to vulnerable populations living in the centres of large cities. Behaviours and management strategies need to be adapted to promote a balance between economic growth, respect for the planet’s natural resources, and the promotion of social well-being, so that future generations can do the same.
“When evolution is natural, growth is sustainable.”
CTT Portuguese Postal Service
