GHG Emissions, Sourcing Renewables  -  July 19, 2023

Amazon Increases RE Use to 90%

Tech giant Amazon increased its sustainability efforts across its businesses, including ecommerce business, entertainment studio and cloud provider, in 2022. 

Amazon’s carbon intensity decreased 7% in 2022. Its total carbon footprint was also reduced by 0.4% in 2022 as a result of its renewable energy investments, plus a decline in emissions from building construction and third-party transportation, according to the company's 2022 Sustainability Report. 

Beginning in 2024, Amazon is updating its Supply Chain Standards to require suppliers to share their carbon emissions data and set carbon goals.

 “We know that sustainability is important to our customers, and we’re continuously investing, inventing, and improving to make every interaction more sustainable than the last,” said Kara Hurst, Vice President and Head of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon in a statement. We do this while working to minimize our impact on the planet and the communities we operate in.”

Amazon is lowering the use of fossil fuels, deploying battery-electric generators, using solar-powered cast trailers, and operating electric vehicles on sets across its production studios.

At AWS, Amazon is helping customers reduce their environmental impact, offering advanced engineering, data centers, and cloud computing that reduces energy and workload carbon emissions.

The company is on a path to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy and is on track to accomplish this by 2025, five years ahead of schedule. In 2022, 90% of electricity consumed by Amazon was powered by renewable energy sources due to investing in over 400 wind and solar projects globally. Amazon is also investing in new energy technologies like green hydrogen. 

In 2022, the company had over 9,000 electric delivery vehicles in its global fleet, and EVs delivered 145 million packages in the U.S. and Europe. Amazon’s goal is to get 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian on the road by 2030. The company has more than 5,000 vehicles operating in the U.S. and recently announced the first 300 to hit the road in Germany.

The company is also investing in sustainable logistics technologies and has more than 15,000 hydrogen-powered forklifts operating in its fulfillment centers in North America. Amazon also deployed e-cargo bikes, scooters, and on-foot deliveries from micromobility hubs, including in New York City’s Manhattan and in 20 cities across Europe.

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