- Amazon announced more companies are joining its Climate Pledge to reach net zero by 2040
- The company confirmed it’s achieving the 100% renewable energy goal five years earlier than previously forecasted
- It marks а 33% reduction of outbound packaging since 2015 – the equivalent of 1.5 billion shipping boxes
Amazon has recently released the annual update on its Climate Pledge and sustainability programs, created to address the commitment to reach net zero carbon by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement.
The company announced last week that Verizon, Reckitt Benckiser (RB), and Infosys have joined The Climate Pledge. “Collectively we are sending an important signal to the market that there is significant and rapidly growing demand for technologies that can help us build a zero-carbon economy,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement.
Amazon noted it is still on track to power the company’s operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025. That is five years earlier than previously planned. It will put 100,000 electric vehicles on the road and some of them will be deployed as early as 2021.
Amazon Net Zero Pledge
Last year Amazon announced The Climate Pledge Fund. This is a $2 billion venture investment program supporting the development of sustainable and decarbonizing technologies and services. They will enable Amazon and other companies to meet their carbon reduction goals. Another new project that will tackle carbon emissions is the $100 million Right Now Climate Fund that is investing in nature-based solutions and reforestation projects around the world.
The company is proud of its progress of lowering the weight of outbound packaging by 33% since 2015. That is equivalent to eliminating 880,000 tons of packaging material, an important milestone in its sustainability efforts.
Amazon has shown a commitment to taking its responsibility for minimizing the negative impact on the environment associated with operating its business. Other companies have also made similar pledges for taking part in the net zero economy race.
