Amazon has reaffirmed its goal to reach net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040, as it unveiled its 2024 sustainability report.
The tech giant said that it remains committed to the targets set out in The Climate Pledge, which the company co-founded in 2019, adding that it recognises that ‘progress will not always be linear, but we remain focused on serving our customers better, faster, and with fewer emissions‘.
Sustainability performance
In its sustainability report, Amazon reported a 4% reduction in carbon intensity in 2024, compared to the previous year, however overall carbon emissions grew by 6% due to business growth and the expansion of its data centre network.
With regard to sustainable transport, Amazon said that it surpassed its goal of implementing 10,000 electric vehicles in India ahead of schedule, part of a fleet of 31,400 electric delivery vans that the company operates globally. It aims to raise this number to 100,000 by the end of the decade.
In 2024, Amazon delivered some 1.5 billion packages worldwide by electric vehicles.
On energy sourcing, Amazon said that for the second consecutive year in a row, 100% of the electricity used in its global operations was matched with renewable energy, with the company now the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy for the fifth straight year.
Overall, Amazon has announced a total of 621 renewable energy projects globally – 124 of which were announced in 2024 – representing 34 GW of carbon-free energy capacity.
On waste reduction, meanwhile, Amazon reported a 83% global waste diversion rate, the donation of 81 million meals globally, and the reduction of 4.2 million metric tonnes of packaging materials since 2015.
In terms of water stewardship and biodiversity, the company added that it returned 4.3 billion litres of water to communities in 2024, as part of its goal for AWS to be water positive by 2030, while it has protected or restored 49,000 hectares of land over five years.
Customer obsession
“When we ask why sustainability matters, the answer is clear: Sustainability is not separate from our customer obsession – it’s an extension of it,” commented Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer at Amazon.
“Solutions that benefit the environment can create superior experiences for our customers and also become an economic driver that helps to strengthen communities and protect the planet.”
She added that the company has also “harnessed AI as a powerful sustainability tool”, enabling the company to optimise size recommendations, uncover energy efficiencies, detect water leaks, and avoid packaging where possible. Read more here and here.
Source: https://sustainabilityonline.net/
