On 10 July 2025, the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) hosted the second event in their joint webinar series, focusing on how sustainability requirements in the e-commerce market are reshaping the postal sector.
Titled “Sustainability Requirements of the E-commerce Market – Implications for the Core Business of the Postal Sector”, the webinar brought together perspectives from capital markets, logistics providers, and regulators to over 60 participants, primarily from the postal sector, connecting from different parts of the world.
The first speaker, Ms. Yaxuan Chen from UPU, presented insights from ESG data covering over 200 publicly listed e-commerce companies (compiled together with S&P Global). She highlighted the growing influence of environmental and social indicators in shaping investor decisions, procurement processes, and market access. Postal operators, she explained, are increasingly expected to align with sustainability metrics, such as emissions reporting, sustainable packaging, and low-emission delivery, even if not directly regulated.
Dr. Janya Chanchaichujit from Prince of Songkla University examined how these new expectations are affecting logistics and delivery providers. She underlined how sustainability goals, such as offering low-carbon delivery options or disclosing emissions, are becoming standard features of e-commerce contracts. For many postal operators, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity to modernize operations and demonstrate leadership.
From a regulatory angle, Ms. Betül Yilmaz of Türkiye’s Information and Communication Technologies Authoritydiscussed how national authorities are beginning to respond. Drawing on Türkiye’s new sustainability reporting standards and recent developments in e-commerce legislation, she emphasized the importance of ensuring fair competition and supporting smaller actors through clearer policy frameworks and collaboration across agencies.
Throughout the session, participants engaged through live polls and a series of Q&As.
This webinar is part of the UPU–UNITAR global webinar series, Climate Engagement Programme for Postal Sector Stakeholders, which provides a platform for knowledge sharing and joint action on sustainability in the postal sector. The first webinar, “Overcoming Grid Constraints in Fleet Electrification,” is also available online. A third webinar in the series will follow later this year.
Watch the webinar recording: