PostNL offers first Green Bond of €300 million
The Hague, the Netherlands, 16 September 2019 – Today, PostNL announced the successful offering of its first Green Bond. The company issued €300 million fixed rate Notes with a term of seven years, maturing on 23 September 2026. The transaction highlights the company’s commitment towards becoming a truly sustainable e-commerce logistics provider.
The net proceeds of the offering will be used to finance and/or refinance new and/or existing eligible green projects. This enables the company to contribute meaningfully to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals ‘Decent work and economic growth’ and ‘Climate action’. The eligible green projects focus on green kilometres, sustainable buildings and innovation and efficiency.
PostNL has published a Green Bond Framework to detail the quality of the projects to be financed through the issuance of the Green Bond. Sustainalytics, an independent provider of environmental, social and governance research and ratings, prepared a second-party opinion on the credentials and management of the Green Bond, which is available on postnl.nl/en/about-postnl/investors/shares-and-bonds/. The allocation of proceeds will be overseen by PostNL’s Green Bond Committee and will be reported annually.
The issuance is priced at 99.300% and carries an annual coupon of 0.625%. Settlement of the Notes is scheduled for 23 September 2019. Application has been made for the Notes to be listed on Euronext Amsterdam and a prospectus prepared in connection with the listing will become available on PostNL’s website. BofA Merrill Lynch acted as Green Bond Structuring advisor and BofA Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas and Commerzbank acted as joint active bookrunners.
The Notes are expected to be rated BBB by Standard & Poors Global Ratings.
Cautionary notice
This communication does not constitute an offer to purchase, or the solicitation of an offer to purchase, Notes and is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, in or into or from US, United Kingdom or any other jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the relevant laws or regulations of such jurisdiction.
The bonds have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “US Securities Act”) and will also not be registered with any authority competent with respect to securities in any state or other jurisdiction of the United States of America. The notes may not be offered or sold in the United States of America without either registration of the securities or an exemption from registration under the US Securities Act being applicable.
About PostNL
We are PostNL, the mail and logistics solutions provider for all. With our mail and parcel deliverers who get everywhere, our 5,500 PostNL locations, 11.000 mail boxes and 517 automated parcel lockers, we are always nearby. We aim to be our customers’ favourite deliverer by making it as easy as possible for them to send and receive parcels and letters. Our over 35,000 people are right at the heart of society. On weekdays, we deliver an average 1.1 million parcels and 7.4 million letters across the Benelux region. Our focus is on quality for our customers, creating opportunities for our people and adding value for our stakeholders through growth, digitalisation and sustainability initiatives.
We optimise and support our physical networks by using smart digital solutions and launching new propositions that create value for our customers. We build long-lasting working relationships by acting as a good employer and client for everyone who works for and with us. To make our deliveries as sustainable as possible, we cover a lot of kilometres on foot or by bicycle or e-bike, provide innovative city logistics, use cleaner fuels, and use electric vans and light electric trucks. PostNL NV is a listed company with revenues of €3.1 billion in 2022, 61% of this derived from e-commerce. We provide deliveries of mail and parcels, logistics solutions for e-commerce, and cross-border solutions.