CouriersPlease is making measurable progress toward its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025, expanding the scope of its emissions offsetting program and securing independent certification that recognises its commitment to reducing environmental impact across operations.
Carbon Neutral Progress
The parcel delivery company, part of the FMH Group now owned by Pacific Equity Partners, initially set a carbon neutral target for 2025 by committing to offset 100% of its direct operational emissions. That scope covers waste management, energy consumption across facilities, and all staff travel including flights.
Having achieved full operational offsetting, CouriersPlease has now broadened the program to include 10% of emissions attributable to last-mile deliveries carried out by its franchise network. While 10% represents an incremental step, it signals the company’s intent to progressively bring Scope 3 franchise emissions into its carbon accounting framework, an area that many logistics operators have been slow to address.
The company has also earned LowCO2 Certification from the Carbon Reduction Institute (CRI). The certification is not a one-off achievement; it requires CouriersPlease to set and meet annual CO2 reduction targets, providing an ongoing accountability mechanism that goes beyond simple offset purchasing.
Franchise Network Challenge
Decarbonising a franchise-based delivery operation presents a distinct set of challenges compared to a company that owns its fleet outright. CouriersPlease operates through more than 750 franchisees, with over 1,200 franchise and delivery partners in total, covering approximately 95% of the Australian population. Each franchisee operates their own vehicles and determines their own routes, making direct control over fuel consumption and vehicle emissions difficult.
The decision to begin offsetting 10% of franchise last-mile emissions acknowledges this complexity while establishing a baseline that can be scaled over time. It also provides a framework for measuring franchise-level emissions more accurately, which is a prerequisite for setting meaningful reduction targets across the broader network.
For franchise operators themselves, the program creates a pathway toward greener operations without requiring immediate capital expenditure on electric vehicles or other infrastructure changes. As the offsetting percentage increases, it is likely to be accompanied by operational guidance on route optimisation and vehicle efficiency.
Industry Context
CouriersPlease’s expanded offsetting program sits within a broader industry trend toward greener logistics. Major Australian retailers and delivery services are deepening their commitments to sustainability through investments in eco-friendly facilities, optimised delivery routing, and lower-emission vehicle fleets.
What distinguishes the CouriersPlease approach is its focus on the franchise model, a delivery structure that dominates last-mile logistics in Australia but has received less attention in sustainability discussions than corporate-owned fleets. By building carbon accounting into the franchise relationship, CouriersPlease is testing whether a distributed delivery network can achieve environmental targets without centralised fleet control.
The LowCO2 certification adds a layer of third-party verification that shippers and retail partners increasingly expect. As environmental reporting requirements tighten across supply chains, carriers that can demonstrate certified progress toward emissions reduction are better positioned to retain and win contracts with sustainability-conscious businesses.
Whether CouriersPlease can scale its franchise offsetting from 10% toward full coverage will be a key indicator of how effectively franchise-based carriers can participate in the industry’s broader decarbonisation efforts.