Denmark’s farewell to letters: PostNord closes the paper era

Unstoppable digitisation and the decline of traditional mail lead to the end of a symbol, with consequences for workers and social habits

Denmark is preparing to say goodbye to a centuries-old tradition: the postal service for letter delivery. As of the end of the year, the historic company PostNord has announced that it will no longer guarantee the delivery of paper mail. This brings to an end an era in which enveloping a letter and putting it in a post box was an everyday act for many. Today, with the advancement of technology and digital services, this act is increasingly rare, and very few Danes still write letters. This is not a phenomenon isolated to Denmark, but it is particularly noticeable here.

The numbers published on the website of PostNord, which also operates in Sweden, speak for themselves: since 2000, the amount of letters sent has plummeted by more than 90 per cent. The digital transformation is now unstoppable, and from next June the iconic red postboxes, a symbol of the Danish urban landscape, will begin to disappear. However, the change will not be painless: the transition will result in the dismissal of about 1,500 of PostNord’s 4,600 employees in Denmark, news that has made the rounds of the international media, as reported by the BBC.

In a country where there is a digital application for almost every service, the use of traditional mail is now residual. Ninety-five per cent of Danes use the Digital Post service, a platform that allows them to receive official correspondence and documents digitally. However, there are still 271,000 people who remain paper-bound. For them, PostNord will continue to offer the possibility to send letters for a few more years, and the refund of unused stamps will be guaranteed until 2026.

The Danish Minister of Transport, Thomas Danielsen, attempted to reassure citizens by stating that it will still be possible to send letters and have them delivered, but he also emphasised the importance of the ‘free market’. Indeed, a law passed last year opened up the mail market to private companies, creating new opportunities, but also leaving room for uncertainty about the future of the public service.

In the meantime, PostNord is adapting to the times, aiming to become the preferred courier for parcels, a strategic choice to cope with the growing demand due to online shopping, which is on the rise among Danish consumers. Letters may be a thing of the past, but the future seems to lie in parcel deliveries.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)