Changing its fleet to electrical vehicles and installing solar panels on its headquarters roof are part of plans by Isle of Man Post Office (IOMPO) to go greener.

The IOMPO has published a report for the first time detailing what measures it is taking to try and combat climate change.

Under the Climate Change Act 202, public bodies on the island now have a duty to comply with commitments to tackle global warming and the IOMPO has now published its Climate Change Report.

It focuses on IOMPO’s efforts for the period April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023, and provides a benchmark for comparison going forward.

Expanding the fleet of electric vehicles with a view to replacing all the diesel ones forms a key part of the strategy.

The report says: ‘IOMPO reviews its fleet requirements each year and plans to electrify the fleet are included in these considerations.’

Proposals to add an array of solar panels to the post office headquarters roof at the Spring Valley Industrial Estate in Douglas are another part of the plans.

The IOMPO suffered a setback after funding submission to the Climate Change Transformation Board for the solar panels was unsuccessful.

The report says: ‘The Board was disappointed that its application was unsuccessful given the demonstrable benefits case appeared to align well to the island's “net zero” objectives.

‘That said, the Board has since agreed to proceed with this from internal resources and will be launching a tender as they are committed to establishing an environmentally sustainable future.’

The use of larger vehicles and the introduction of doorstep collections are among other measures introduced to reduce it carbon emissions, along with reducing the distances customers needed to travel through expanding its collection centres, installing LED lighting at its sites and cutting paper use through digitisation.

Chief executive Simon Kneen said: ‘The Board has committed to converting its diesel fleet to lower emission vehicles over the course of the next five years.

‘As a responsible employer, considering environmental factors in our decision-making process has become an integral part of our daily operation in recent years.

‘The shift to more sustainable operations is being seen across the postal industry and we are keen to reduce our carbon emissions and for our customers to know we care for our Island environment.’

IOMPO also says  600 tonnes of carbon a year will be saved by replacing the dedicated Royal Mail aircraft with commercial aircraft and ferry services which happened in October last year.