Collective environmental action is getting more practical for everyday people. Trellis reported that Amazon is teaming up with business partners, suppliers, and consumers to build a greener ecosystem.
The amount of planet-overheating pollution from Amazon operations increased to 68.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2024, a 34% uptick from 2019. However, the company now produces 41% less carbon for every dollar of merchandise sold than it did in 2019.
To address its footprint, Amazon is working with companies from across the globe through The Climate Pledge, an initiative Amazon co-founded with Global Optimism.
The pledge now has 575 signatories, all committed to reporting their impact on heat-trapping pollution regularly and reducing it by 2040. It has launched several collaborative joint action projects to accelerate clean energy development, electric delivery services, and sustainable shopping.
According to Trellis, 19 joint projects are underway. They include installing EV charging infrastructure in cities, developing a 370-kilometer (230-mile) EV freight corridor in India, and promoting the use of renewable energy.
Amazon has also partnered with Rivian to make road deliveries more sustainable. It has deployed 25,000 electric vans across the United States, delivering more than 1 billion packages to customers in 2024 alone.
In Europe, the company has collaborated with Mercedes-Benz — also a signatory on The Climate Pledge — to add 5,000 electric vans.
With transportation still being the largest contributor of harmful air pollution, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports, Amazon's shift to electric delivery vehicles marks a step toward cleaner air.
On the consumer side, Amazon is promoting greener choices through its Climate Pledge Friendly label, which is now tagged on more than 1.7 billion products sold on the platform. This helps shoppers find products that meet higher sustainability standards and make greener choices. And while advocates note that risks of greenwashing remain, the expansion of eco-friendly options is a positive move.
Still, Amazon has a long way to go. Its data centers consume large quantities of power and strain entire energy grids. As such, the company's footprint remains enormous.
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"No matter what we're faced with in the future, we'll remain steadfast in our commitment to sustainability and continue to invest, innovate, and obsess over our progress each year," said Kara Hurst, Amazon's chief sustainability officer.
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