(Credit: Amazon)Amazon has released its 2022 Sustainability Report, revealing a 0.4% decrease in carbon emissions since 2021 and increased efforts in using clean energy for operations.
The company’s major sustainability goals include reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, powering operations with 100% renewable energy by 2030, and making Amazon device packaging 100% recyclable by the end of 2023. The greatest progress, according to the report, was seen in renewable energy implementation and reducing packaging waste.
As the world’s largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, the company reports it is ahead of schedule toward powering operations completely with renewable energy by 2025. The company has grown their capacity to 20 gigawatts of clean energy through over 400 global renewable energy projects.
The company’s efforts to reduce packaging waste have seen improvements, especially after the company faced scrutiny over its immense amount of plastic waste in 2020. The report explains that Amazon has replaced 99% of its mixed-material mailers, which contain plastic and paper, with recyclable paper alternatives in the United States and Canada. The company has also eliminated single-use plastic packaging in its European and Australian markets.
With a net worth of $1.39 trillion, Amazon has immense potential to lead the way in promoting sustainable business models. The Climate Pledge, which the company co-founded in 2019, has brought 396 companies to sign off on the goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
Although a modest figure, Amazon’s 0.4% carbon emissions reduction is the first time the company has been able to reduce its carbon footprint, even as their sales grew by 9%.
Especially in terms of reducing carbon emissions, Amazon explains the need for governments and other businesses to work together towards net zero. Their approach for reaching the 2040 goal includes investing in carbon-reducing green technologies, decarbonizing through policy change, and accelerating cross-sector collaboration through The Climate Pledge.
“We recognize that sustainability does not have an expiration date, and there will always be more to do,” said Kara Hurst, vice president of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, in the report. “But today, we are taking on some of the hardest problems in the world to solve, with a long-term view, which involves no shortcuts or quick fixes. We remain confident in our approach. You might not see all of the large-scale changes that we are making reflected imminently; our company thinks in the long term. We are working tirelessly to deliver on our sustainability commitments with the impact and scale our customers have come to expect from us, while bringing entire industries along with us and transforming how we work on planet Earth.”
