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.

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.

February 2026: Sustainability News Developments

• Strategy Update: In an Amazon-produced interview, Mandy Ulrich, senior manager of energy and water for AWS Data Center Global Services in the Americas East region, describes what "carbon-free energy means, why Amazon is expanding beyond renewables like wind and solar, and how investing in nuclear technology, battery storage, and grid modernization can deliver benefits to Amazon and the communities in which we operate."
• United States - AI Data Center Energy Policy: Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI will visit the White House in March and sign agreement to build their own electricity supply for AI data centers, Fox News reported.

January 2026: Sustainability News Developments

• Partnership: Water.org, Gap Inc., Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab have launched Get Blue, a "global initiative is designed to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation." On a related note, Amazon's CSO is on Water.org's board.
• Energy Grid Policy: Amazon is "paying our full energy costs and is committed to ensuring our data centers don’t increase consumers’ electricity bills, and we've been clear that every major energy user should do the same," the company said in a statement. "We’re working with grid operators, utilities, and other partners to ensure the grid is prepared to meet future demand and that costs are not passed on to ratepayers."
• Leadership: Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst has joined Water.org as chair of the organization's board. Water.org is a global nonprofit organization strive to offer access to safe water and sanitation worldwide.

December 2025: Sustainability News Developments

• Data Center Energy Bills: Amid consumer concerns about data center energy bills, Amazon points out that the company pays for its own electricity costs.
• Open Letter to Big Tech: The Sierra Club is calling on Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft to reject new fossil fuel buildouts for their data centers.
• Accelerator: The Amazon Devices Climate Tech Accelerator is accepting inquiries for 2026. Related: List of 100+ accelerators and sustainability incubators.
• AI Chip Energy Efficiency: Amazon's new Graviton5 delivers up to 25% better compute performance than the previous generation while "maintaining leading energy efficiency, enabling you to run applications faster, reduce costs, and meet sustainability goals," AWS asserted.
• 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.

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