Journal of Supply Chain

Amazon has declared that it will match 100% of the electricity consumed in its global operations with renewable energy sources in 2023, seven years earlier than the original target date.

This covers all electricity utilised in its data centres, corporate offices, and fulfilment centres.

The corporation set the 100% renewable energy target for 2030 as part of the Climate Pledge, which commits to reaching net-zero emissions by 2040.

Amazon is the world's largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, with investments in over 500 solar and wind projects, including seven in Australia.

"Reaching our renewable energy goal is an incredible accomplishment, and we're proud of the work we did to get here seven years early," says Kara Hurst, Amazon Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability.

"We recognise that this is simply a snapshot in time, and our efforts to decarbonise our operations will not be the same year after year; we will continue to make progress while also developing on our route to 2040.

"Our staff will continue to be ambitious and accomplish what is best for our company, customers, and the entire world." That is why we will continue to invest in solar and wind projects, as well as other carbon-free energy sources, to power our activities for decades to come."

Amazon now supports seven renewable energy initiatives in Australia. This includes four utility-scale projects: an operational solar farm in Wandoan, Queensland, operational solar farms in Suntop and Gunnedah, New South Wales, and a wind farm in Hawkesdale, Victoria; and three rooftop solar projects on Amazon sites in Melbourne and Sydney.

Once operational, these projects are expected to provide more than 1,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of renewable energy per year, enough to power over 175,000 Australian homes.

In addition, Amazon has invested AU $467 million in wind and solar farms in Australia between 2020 and 2022.

Amazon continues to innovate in other areas of sustainability, such as packaging. The company wants to reduce waste and single-use plastic in client deliveries by using initiatives such as the 'Ships in Product Packing' programme, which removes needless packing.

Since 2021, Amazon has more than tripled the number of orders shipped to Australian customers with no additional delivery packing.

When additional Amazon packaging is needed to send a product, Amazon uses paper-based packaging and prioritises recyclable materials. All Amazon boxes transported through the Australian fulfilment centre network are kerbside recyclable, and all single-use plastic air pillows have been replaced with recyclable paper.

Since 2015, Amazon has reduced the average per-shipment package weight by 43% and eliminated more than 3 million metric tonnes of packaging, including nearly half a million in 2023.