
Amazon’s carbon emissions grew 18 per cent in 2021, largely as a result of demand for its providers through the Covid pandemic.
In a brand new report, the Seattle tech large has revealed it emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equal final 12 months.
This marks a 40 per cent rise, and the third straight 12 months of elevated emissions, for the reason that firm began sharing the figures again in 2019.
It follows Amazon posting a $2 billion loss final week for the second straight quarter, as buyers return to shops following the pandemic.
In a brand new report, Amazon revealed it emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equal final 12 months – a 40 per cent rise since 2019 (pictured, Amazon workplaces in Seattle)
Amazon goals to turn into carbon impartial by 2040, and energy 100 per cent of its operations with renewable vitality by 2025.
However in a weblog submit, Amazon mentioned its ‘carbon-intensive endeavours’ imply the trail to decarbonisation ‘stays difficult’.
‘We function companies – supply and transportation logistics, bodily shops, grocery, manufacturing, and cloud computing providers – that contain transferring merchandise, manufacturing items, and creating computing capability, all at scale,’ the agency mentioned.
‘Whereas a few of these companies – together with cloud computing and e-commerce – supply larger efficiencies, some are extra carbon-intensive endeavours.’
Amazon mentioned it needed to scale its enterprise ‘at an unprecedented tempo’ to assist meet the wants of consumers by the pandemic.
Amazon’s sprawling enterprise covers achievement centres, supply automobiles, know-how units, grocery shops, cloud providers, information centres and extra.
The most important emissions development by share was in a class Amazon calls capital items – together with constructing development, servers and different {hardware}, tools and automobiles.


71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equal marks a 40 per cent rise, and the third straight 12 months of elevated emissions, for the reason that firm began sharing the figures again in 2019
In a optimistic spin on its huge carbon emissions, Amazon mentioned its carbon depth – its carbon emissions divided by gross merchandise gross sales – decreased by 1.9 per cent.
In response to the agency, 2021 is the third 12 months in a row that its carbon depth decreased, and continued decreases in carbon depth can result in decrease absolute emissions.
In its quest to turn into carbon impartial by 2040, Amazon will construct extra sustainable buildings, use extra zero-emission automobiles and decarbonise its provide chain, in addition to energy all operations with absolutely renewable vitality in simply two years’ time.
Final 12 months, it reached the milestone of utilizing 85 per cent of renewable vitality.


Amazon’s sprawling enterprise covers achievement centres, supply automobiles, know-how units, grocery shops, cloud providers, information centres and extra
Amazon is continually increasing its zero-emission transportation choices similar to electrical supply vans, cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries.
Final 12 months, greater than 100 million packages had been delivered to its clients’ doorsteps globally utilizing zero-emission automobiles.
In 2019, Amazon co-founded The Local weather Pledge and made a dedication to attain net-zero carbon by 2040, which is 10 years forward of the Paris Settlement.
This implies any of its carbon emissions can be balanced by schemes to offset an equal quantity of greenhouse gases from the environment.
There at the moment are greater than 300 companies and organisations which have signed The Local weather Pledge, additionally committing themselves to net-zero by 2040, together with Sainsbury’s, Virgin Media O2, Salesforce, HP, Logitech and Avivia.