Amazon has come under fire in recent years for its business practices. One of the biggest criticisms it has received is the overall negative effect it has on the environment. As the company’s sales increased, so did its environmental impact. In 2019, Amazon’s carbon footprint increased by an estimated 15%. To show that it heard the concerns, Amazon created the Climate Pledge in 2019.
The aim of Amazon’s Climate Pledge is for the company to become carbon neutral. When CEO Jeff Bezos announced this initiative in September of 2019, he indicated that they plan to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement’s carbon reduction goals. While that agreement aims for 2050, Amazon plans to comply with carbon neutrality by 2040. The company has also vowed to be 100% dependent on renewable energy by 2025, a decade faster than the Paris Climate Agreement’s stipulations.
To meet these goals, Amazon invested an initial $2 billion. This cutting-edge funds companies in various industries — manufacturing, transportation, and agriculture are just a few. All of these companies are dedicated to finding and fostering sustainable practices that will help the environment.
Around $100 million will go toward reforestation projects as part of the Right Now Climate Fund. This program has already committed $10 million to the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit, to work on Appalachia’s sustainable practices. They’ve pledged an additional $4 million to this group for a new urban greening initiative. Set in Europe, this program plans to work with city governments throughout Europe to implement policies that help the environment.
Additionally, Amazon purchased 100,000 electric vehicles for its delivery service. The plan is for all of these zero-emission vehicles to be on the road by 2030.
The company plans to increase its investment over time. They have not yet indicated a plan, timeline, or amount for that increase.
In addition to backing this initiative, Amazon is asking other companies to sign on. Companies that take the Climate Pledge would agree to regularly measure their carbon footprint, work toward becoming carbon neutral, and implement the strategies outlined by the Paris Climate Agreement. If more companies sign on, it will go a long way to improving the impact we currently have on the environment.