--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Building a More Sustainable Future: How Amazon Is Scaling Climate Innovation image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1032d9c4af8b136a/6a4b522c21e475e1e6472805/wws2024_usa_adelanto_carbonfreeenergy_baldymesa_trinca_3509.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- # Building a More Sustainable Future: How Amazon Is Scaling Climate Innovation  As the effects of climate change intensify, the call for businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and build more climate resilient systems has never been more urgent. Amazon is answering that call through innovation, investment, and a long-term goal of reducing its environmental footprint across every part of its global operations. In 2019, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to ​ reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040\. Today, more than 600 companies have signed on, representing a growing movement toward business-led climate action. ## Scaling Sustainability Across Operations In 2024, Amazon matched 100% of the electricity it consumed with renewable energy sources for the second consecutive year. With more than 620 renewable energy projects, Amazon remains the world's largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the world for the fifth consecutive year, according to BloombergNEF. The company also made progress in reducing packaging waste, avoiding over 134 million single-use plastic bags since 2024 across its North American fulfillment centers through automated packaging systems and recyclable paper alternatives. Amazon’s transportation network continues to prioritize lower-emission transportation options where possible and smarter delivery. Last year, 1.5 billion packages were delivered around the world using electric vehicles, and another 170 million packages were delivered through micromobility solutions such as e-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries, improving efficiency and reducing urban emissions.  ## Understanding Water in the Age of AI As Amazon invests in artificial intelligence to drive innovation, it is also working on a crucial sustainability question: how can technology help to use water more efficiently? AI and data centers require energy and water to operate, and Amazon is pioneering new approaches to help make these systems more efficient. The company is implementing advanced evaporative cooling systems and real-time water monitoring to minimize usage while maximizing efficiency. It is also supporting watershed restoration projects and community collaborations that return water to local ecosystems. Amazon has public commitments to return more water to communities than it uses in AWS direct operations globally by 2030\. This effort is central to Amazon’s broader vision of aligning innovation with environmental responsibility.  ## Advancing a Climate-Ready Future Through The Climate Pledge, Amazon is working with signatories including IBM, Microsoft, and Unilever to share knowledge, scale solutions, and accelerate progress toward a net-zero future. From renewable energy and electric mobility to sustainable packaging and water stewardship, Amazon is proving that bold climate action and technological innovation can advance together. Learn more about Amazon’s sustainability initiatives at [Amazon Sustainability](https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com "undefined"), sign up for their monthly newsletter, and explore how [The Climate Pledge](https://theclimatepledge.com "undefined")​ community is driving collective impact at The Climate Pledge.  [Learn more](https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/) Building a More Sustainable Future: How Amazon Is Scaling Climate Innovation ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/amazon/building-a-more-sustainable-future-how-amazon-is-scaling-climate-innovation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/amazon/building-a-more-sustainable-future-how-amazon-is-scaling-climate-innovation/"},"headline":"Building a More Sustainable Future: How Amazon Is Scaling Climate Innovation","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:10.818Z","dateModified":"2026-05-25T07:33:47.977Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/amazon/building-a-more-sustainable-future-how-amazon-is-scaling-climate-innovation/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/amazon/building-a-more-sustainable-future-how-amazon-is-scaling-climate-innovation/","name":"Building a More Sustainable Future: How Amazon Is Scaling Climate Innovation"}}]}] ```