What is Amazon's Sustainability Strategy, And How Are AWS Partners Involved?

Amazon ($AMZN) expects to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its business by 2040. Moreover, Amazon is marching toward powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of its original 2030 target, the company said in January 2023.

In terms of seeing and maintaining a companywide sustainability focus, the name to know is Kara Hurst (pictured above), VP of worldwide sustainability at Amazon. Hurst communicates regularly about the company's march toward net-zero carbon emissions.

Meanwhile, the Amazon Web Services (AWS) business now promotes dozens of Partner Sustainability Solutions to help customers "build towards net-zero carbon, mitigate climate risk, and drive business growth," the cloud giant assets. And the AWS Clean Energy Accelerator aligns energy organizations to work with startups on "solving their clean energy and decarbonization challenges."

Challenges: Still, the e-commerce company and its cloud business also face heavy scrutiny on multiple sustainability fronts.

For instance, some employees are pushing the company to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 -- the date that cloud rival Microsoft is targeting. In some ways, the comparison vs. Microsoft is not fair. After all, most of Microsoft's business now involves subscription-based, cloud-delivered software. In stark contrast, Amazon's business depends heavily on global distribution and transportation supply chains -- planes, trains and automobiles that offer rapid delivery of physical products to millions of customers worldwide.

The timeline below, update regularly, further explains Amazon's sustainability strategy, key milestones, customer engagements, partner integrations and more. Check back regularly for updates.

December 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Partners of the Year: AWS named the following companies as its sustainability partners of the year for 2025: Informatica (global); Deloitte (North America); Blend (Latin America); Infosys (Europe, Middle East and Africa); Intangles (Asia Pacific and Japan); and Lark Technologies (Greater China Region).
• Partnership - Building Decarbonization and Cloud Services: Trane Technologies and AWS are showcasing a successful collaboration in building decarbonization, the two companies said. The effort involves BrainBox AI, a smart building technology provider that Trane acquired in 2024.

November 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• - Data Center Footprint: Amazon's data center operations now span more than 900 facilities across more than 50 countries, Bloomberg reported.
• Supply Chain Management: Amazon is touting Sustainability Data Fabric (SDF) as a way to "transform the landscape of product transparency, regulatory compliance, and supply chain sustainability."
• Carbon Accounting Software on AWS: DitchCarbon, a climate data platform for enterprise supply chains, is now available in the AWS Marketplace. DitchCarbon, founded in 2022, specializes in Scope 3 measurement and reduction. The company is based in London.
• Robotaxi Services: Tesla has obtained a permit to operate a ride-hailing service in Arizona. Separately, Amazon's Zoox will start giving free robotaxi rides through parts of San Francisco as it strives to challenge Waymo's early market lead. (Sources: CNBC, Associated Press)
• Water Recycling: AWS now leverages recycled water across 120 U.S. data center locations, up from a previous 24 locations, the company said. The move will preserve over 530 million gallons of fresh drinking water annually, the company added. The Amazon statement surfaces roughly one month after The Guardian said Amazon strategized about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its data centers’ water use.
• Partnership - Data Centers and IT Networks: Verizon Business struck a deal with Amazon Web Services under which the U.S. telecom will build new fiber pathways connecting AWS data center locations, SeekingAlpha reported.
• Partnership - AI Data Centers: OpenAI and Amazon have signed a $38 billion deal that enables the ChatGPT maker to run its AI systems on Amazon's data centers in the U.S., the Associated Press reported.

October 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Water Use Controversy: Amazon strategized about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its data centers’ water use, a leaked internal document reveals, according to The Guardian.
• Accelerator - Devices: The Amazon Devices Climate Tech Accelerator selected 14 startups for a 16-week accelerator program. The accelerator supports startups developing next-generation solutions in energy efficiency, materials innovation, and device sustainability. Related: List of all sustainability accelerators worldwide.
• Partnership - Small Modular Reactors: Amazon is assisting a small modular reactor (SMR) deployment in Washington. The Cascade Advanced Energy Facility involves Washington state utility Energy Northwest and SMR developer X-energy, according to Amazon.
• Data Centers - Solar Power Prediction: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos predicted that gigawatt-scale data center -- powered by continuous solar energy -- will be built in space within the next 10 to 20 years, Reuters reported.
• Power Purchase Agreement: Amazon plans to purchase solar power from Avangrid's new solar project, known as Oregon Trail Solar. The 57 MWdc (41 MWac) facility will be operational in 2027.
• IBM Partnership: IBM and AWS expanded their partnership to accelerate cloud adoption, digital transformation and sustainable IT initiatives across the Middle East, GlobalData reported.

September 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Water and AI: Amazon and three partners organizations -- including The Water Environment Federation (WEF), The Water Center at the University of Pennsylvania (WCP), and The Leading Utilities of the World (Leading Utilities) -- have launched the Water-AI Nexus Center of Excellence. The knowledge hub will "develop sustainable water practices for AI infrastructure while also using AI to solve global water challenges," according to the founding members. Related: Amazon sustainability news and partner implications.
• Space Accelerator: The accelerator in September 2025 selected 42 Indian startups focused on geospatial analytics, satellite propulsion, space sustainability and more, Analytics India Mag reported.

August 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Leadership - Energy Investments: KKR, a leading global investment firm, has tapped former AWS CEO Adam Selipsky as a senior technology and AI strategy advisor to the firm. Selipsky's focus will include AI, data centers and energy.

April 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• AI Data Center Slowdown? Amazon paused some data center lease talks for AWS, particularly in overseas markets, suggesting a short-term slowdown in leasing for large-scale facilities, Wells Fargo analysts, according to Reuters. One day later, Amazon and Nvidia said that the construction of AI data centers is not slowing down, CNBC reported.
• Sustainability Accelerator: Amazon selected eight startups to join the company's 2025 sustainability accelerator. Alas, none of the startups involved IT services.

March 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Greenwashing Lawsuit?: Consumers in four states filed a proposed class action against Amazon, accusing the company of greenwashing by misleading consumers about the sustainability of the company’s Amazon Basics line of paper products, law firm Kelley Drye reported.
• Carbon Credit Service: Amazon is expanding its Sustainability Exchange resource hub to include a carbon credits investment service.
• AWS Partners: The AWS Partner Network now lists various sustainability partners in such areas as Carbon and ESG; Climate and Nature; Energy Transition; IT Infrastructure and Architecture; Sustainable Operations; and Sustainable Value Chain.
• Software - IT Carbon Accounting: The Sustainable Digital Infrastructure Alliance (SDIA) has certified the Dynatrace Cost & Carbon Optimization app. The certification essentially confirms that Dynatrace's software "is a reliable estimation system for calculating the operational GHG emissions of IT infrastructure in cloud and on-premises environments," the SDIA said. The app allows customers to calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and on-premises host instances. 
• Expanding Nuclear Capacity: Major companies -- including Amazon, Google and Meta -- signed a pledge to at least triple nuclear capacity by 2050, according to the World Nuclear Association.

February 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Partnership - Energy Infrastructure and Cloud Services: Tata Power is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to accelerate India's transition to a "greener, smarter, and more consumer-centric energy ecosystem," the companies said.
• United Kingdom - Nuclear Energy: X-Energy wants Britain to provide clarity on financial and regulatory support before building nuclear power plants in the country, The Times reported. Without such clarity, X-Energy may consider shifting its focus to alternative countries, the report said. Key X-Energy investors include Amazon.
• More CSRD Pushback: The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union, whose members include Ford Motor Co., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Amazon, is calling on the EU to delay and even halt major planks of its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, Bloomberg reported.
• Death of DEI?: Accenture is the latest IT-focused company to end its diversity and inclusion goals, Reuters reported. Meta (parent of Facebook), Alphabet (parent of Google) and Amazon also scrapped their DEI goals amid Trump's return to the presidency, the report noted.
• Jeff Bezos Fund Ends SBTi Support: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ $10-billion Earth Fund has ended its support for the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the main verifier of corporate climate targets, the Financial Times reported and Bloomberg summarized. SBTi received criticism when it explored a potential carbon credit recognition plan in 2024. The criticism ultimately triggered an SBTi CEO transition.
• United States - Washington Data Center Study: Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is forming a workgroup to explore the impact of data centers in the state. The executive order surfaces amid growing demand for AI data centers -- which has pressured energy suppliers nationwide. Amazon and Microsoft, among others, have a heavy data center presence in Washington. Under the executive order, the workgroup has until December 1 of 2025 to submit its findings and recommendations, GeekWire reported.
• Power Purchase Agreement (PPA): Amazon and energy supplier Iberdrola have expanded their strategic partnership, which originally surfaced in 2022. The new agreement involves solar and wind energy across five countries.
• Asia Pacific Data Centers: Amazon Web Services (AWS) has begun using low-carbon concrete in the construction of new data centers in Japan, Data Center Dynamics reported.
  

January 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Layoffs: Amazon is laying off some employees in its communications and sustainability units, an executive overseeing the divisions announced internally, CNBC reported. Exact headcount reduction cuts were not disclosed. Related: Sustainability industry layoff timeline.
• Renewable Energy Consumption: For the fifth consecutive year, Amazon claims to be the world's largest purchaser of renewable energy, ESG News reported.
• DEI Pushback: Amazon.com is ending some of its diversity and inclusion programs, the company said in a December 2024 memo to employees seen by Reuters.
• Data Centers - Nuclear Energy Pushback: Environmentalists, academics and American Indian tribes are gathering force against a nuclear energy revival in the Northwest United States, OPB reported. The pushback counters a plan from Amazon and Energy Northwest to develop and build nuclear reactors in southeast Washington that would power Amazon data centers in Umatilla and Morrow counties, the report noted.
  

December 2024: Sustainability News Developments

• Distribution: An Amazon fulfillment center in Sacramento, California, is the first-ever to earn the Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute, the e-commerce company said.
• Circular IT: Through Amazon's re:Cycle Reverse Logistics hub, the company is diverting more than 99% of decommissioned hardware from landfills.
• Partners of the Year: The AWS Sustainability Partner of the Year for 2024 included the following honorees:
  • Global: Winner – Capgemini
  • NAMER: Winner – McKinsey and Company
  • LATAM: Winner – CI&T
  • EMEA: Winner – Lambert Labs
  • APJ: Winner – Infosys
  • GCR: Winner – Tuya Global Inc
• AI Data Centers and Energy Efficiency: Amazon announced several steps to drive AI innovation while improving data center availability and energy efficiency.
• Partner of the Year - IT Services: AWS has named Capgemini as its sustainability partner of the year for 2024. The honor highlights the Capgemini Emissions Experience Centre (EEC), which is an "established co-innovation ecosystem with AWS to support energy companies in achieving net-zero objectives."
• Partnership - Cloud Operations: Cloudera and AWS are partnering to deliver "cost efficient and sustainable infrastructure for AI and analytics," the two companies said.
• Data Centers - Startup Relationship: Amazon.com plans to pilot a new carbon-removal material for data centers, Reuters reported. The effort involves a startup called Orbital Materials.
• Conference: At the AWS re:Invent 2024 conference, dozens of guest speakers (and roughly 25 content sessions will focus on sustainability, energy efficiency, carbon reduction and net-zero business strategies.

More: Continue to the next page for earlier sustainability updates.