Posti is to begin delivering printed mail on alternate days in the Pori area of Finland from autumn this year.

Under the scheme, mail would be delivered on different days to different postcodes. Neighbouring districts may receive mail on different days. Recipients would receive mail on Tuesday and Thursday on one week then Monday, Wednesday and Friday the next week, alternating between the two delivery schedules.

The new Posti system will only apply to printed mail, while newspapers will be delivered every morning as before. Mail items covered under the universal service obligation will be delivered in accordance with Finland’s Postal Act. Parcels will be delivered as normal (largely because this is a growing segment of the postal operator’s business while printed mail is in decline).

The new service is already in operation in the Espoo and Kaunianin regions of Finland. As of April 4th, Helsinki and Tampere will see alternate day delivery for printed mail too.

The reason for the plan according to Posti, is so it can “can continue to offer traditional delivery services alongside digital services. As no single delivery model fits all senders, new models are being developed to meet different customer needs.”

At the same time the new scheme will help reduce the postal operator’s carbon emissions as it commits to a zero emission service by 2030.

“With good planning of delivery routes and our new delivery fleet, we can reduce carbon-dioxide emissions even more. We pay special attention to a driving method that reduces idling, for instance,” says Area Manager Timo Honkasalo.