Decarbonising Australia Post: fleet, facilities and 65,000 people

What does meaningful sustainability look like when you operate in every community across Australia?

In this episode of the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, Kiarne Treacy sits down with Richard Pittard, Chief Sustainability Officer at Australia Post, to unpack what real transformation looks like inside one of the country’s largest and most complex organisations.

With more than 25 years in sustainability and climate leadership, Richard shares why Australia Post is prioritising real decarbonisation over offsets, with a strong focus on fleet electrification, renewable energy, energy-efficient infrastructure and long-term asset planning.

You’ll hear how the organisation exceeded key targets under its 2025 sustainability roadmap, why the next phase requires sharper focus, and how sustainability leaders can influence change across a workforce of 65,000 people.

The conversation also explores Australia Post’s role in circularity, including its RM Williams pilot, which uses logistics and data to support textile recovery and reusable packaging — showing how existing systems can become vehicles for impact.

You’ll hear and learn:

Why Australia Post is focusing on structural emissions reduction, not offsets
How fleet electrification and renewable energy fit into long-term infrastructure planning
What it takes to deliver sustainability across 65,000 team members
How exceeding 2025 targets set the foundation for a more focused strategy
Why sustainability must make commercial sense to scale
How the RM Williams circular packaging and textile recovery pilot works, and why logistics and data matter
Why influence, pragmatism and resilience matter more than perfection for sustainability leaders

This episode is a must-listen for:

Sustainability leaders, ESG professionals, operations and logistics teams, policy makers, and anyone curious about how a familiar Australian organisation is making sustainability moves across the country.

MENTIONS:

LINKS:

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CREDITS:

Host: Kiarne Treacy

Guest: Richard Pittard

Guest Company: Australia Post

Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we produced this podcast, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation.

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