25 years of cross-border shipping

In 2013 we were fully acquired by PostNL, and in 2015 we transitioned from postal to e-commerce deliveries. This shift into e-commerce marked a major transformation in our core business that changed our value proposition, our operational model, and our customer base. Spring GDS rapidly became more technology-driven, and adapted to the new demands for customised cross-border delivery solutions.

Beneath this major shift into e-commerce, our company culture of adaptability, teamwork, and customer-centricity remained the same. Spring GDS evolved from being a logistics provider to a strategic partner in our customers’ e-commerce growth.

‘I started working with the PostNL team back in 1998, when the brand was still called MAILFAST. In 2000, the Italian branch was opened under the name “Easy Mail”, as part of the TELEKADO B.V. group, a company still owned by PostNL. Later, we rebranded as “International Mail” and eventually became “Spring Global Delivery Solutions”.

Over time, the company has grown significantly: today, we have around 30 employees, compared with 10 at the beginning, and the brand is recognised as one of the key players in the market. What has never changed, however, is the atmosphere, which has always remained young and dynamic.’ 

Stefania Gattini, Credit Controller, Spring GDS Italy

As e-commerce has accelerated across the world, we’ve responded in kind with tailored cross-border solutions that take the complexity away from shipping across international borders.

Our UK customs clearance solution, designed after Brexit in 2016, is a particular success story. After Brexit, our operations to the UK continued without interruption, and our customers were able to not only maintain but even grow their volumes to and from the UK.

This commitment to agility and overcoming challenges is something we continue to deliver for our clients as we face changes in regulations from the US and EU moving forward.

‘I’ve seen the company go through so many changes over the years, it genuinely feels like I’ve worked for several different businesses during my time here. The biggest shift by far has been the move into e-commerce and everything that comes with it. Then, from a UK point of view, you can’t ignore Brexit. The added customs requirements and complexities have completely changed the landscape; it’s a whole new ball game compared to how things used to be.’

Gaynor Biss, Head of Customer Service, Spring GDS UK

Transformation under pressure

2019 saw the launch of XBS: our ‘one-click-to-the-world' platform. With XBS, we’ve been able to integrate with our customers e-commerce ecosystem in less than 24 hours and connect them to consumers in 190 countries across the globe. Shortly after, the Covid-19 pandemic tested our operational resilience. The pressure to adapt to disruption plus international shipping demands from Covid quickly sharpened the quality and responsiveness of our services.

Spring GDS shines in complexity, and Covid gave us an opportunity to demonstrate the resourcefulness of our Operations experts under pressure. These structural changes were already underway as e-commerce became the defining feature of our business, but were implemented much faster as the Covid shook and reshaped the international logistics landscape.

"The arrival of early e-commerce customers in the UK was a signal of what would come later. When the first two major e-commerce customers arrived, the team knew “that is the future,” even though they did not yet understand how large the growth would become.

The Covid-19 pandemic marked the moment when e-commerce stopped being an important growth area and became the defining force in the business. Operations had to change immediately: split shifts, cleaning windows between teams, PPE sourcing, and contingency planning, Effectively, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated a structural change that was already underway, but compressed years of adoption into a much shorter period."

Lance Pereira, Director of Operations, Spring GDS UK

Since 2021, we’ve driven initiatives to shift international logistics towards more sustainable operations. We started by investing in certified projects to offset our emissions by funding projects that absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere, build renewable energy, and support biodiversity.

However, as our operations contribute to the carbon-intensive transport sector, we quickly realised that offsetting is not enough. Committed to reducing our emissions at the source, we initiated projects including our award-winning HVO100 ‘Out the Tank’ solution that replaces fossil fuels with renewable biofuel across the European road network. We also took action to directly reduce waste across our international network by replacing single-use wood and cardboard packaging with durable, fully recyclable pallet boxes.

‘Looking back at the past 5 years, I am incredibly proud of how sustainability has evolved within Spring GDS. We have grown from individual initiatives into a professional programme that is embedded in our strategy and supported by a clear path towards Net Zero. But what inspires me most is the enthusiasm of our colleagues around the world. Whether through local community projects, environmental initiatives or new ideas that improve our operations, they remind us that sustainability is ultimately driven by people. their passion, creativity and willingness to make a difference. Their commitment motivates me and gives me confidence that sustainability, in all it's aspects, will remain a fundamental part of Spring GDS’s future.’

Rutger Vonk, ESG Programme Manager, Spring GDS Europe

As we reach the year 2026, we’ve introduced new areas of sustainable action including our Book & Claim sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) solution to reduce emissions from air transport, and customer-specific emissions tracking tools. But beneath these initiatives, we’ve also responded to the urgency of climate change by making sustainability integral to our operations and a key part of our company strategy. Our next steps for sustainability are not just individual initiatives, but a structured decarbonisation roadmap that aligns with the PostNL Group’s Net Zero 2040 target.