Amazon’s U.S. transportation pollution surges 25% since company announced ‘climate pledge’ five years ago 

Since Amazon announced its “climate pledge” initiative to reduce emissions in September of 2019, the company continued to expand its U.S. shipping and deliveries pollution – and today, a joint investigation by Stand.earth Research Group (SRG), the Clean Mobility Collective (CMC), and the Ship it Zero (SiZ) campaign reveals Amazon’s greenhouse gas emissions increased approximately 25% since that announcement.

Over the five-year period since 2019, Prime Polluter reveals Amazon continued expanding emissions from its U.S. imports and domestic deliveries at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 18%, from 3.33 million metric tons carbon dioxide in 2019 to 5.84 million metric tons carbon dioxide in 2023. Key contributors to this increased pollution include Amazon’s growing dependence on air freight shipping (+67% CO2 emissions) and expansion of fossil fuel-powered delivery vans (+195% CO2 emissions).

Key highlights from this investigation are as follows:

• From 2019 to 2023, Amazon has increased its U.S. inbound and domestic air freight pollution by 67% (average annual growth of 15%), reflecting a deliberate decision to bypass emissions-reduction initiatives with an increased aviation focus. Last year, air freight generated more than 42% of the carbon emissions of a package’s journey in the U.S.

• From 2019 to 2023, Amazon’s delivery van carbon dioxide emissions grew over 190%, and its heavy-duty truck emissions grew by 51%. Heavy-duty trucks comprise the second largest share of U.S. dock-to-door emissions, with 37% of each package’s carbon output.

• Amazon’s U.S. inbound and domestic marine shipping emissions increased 26% in 2023 as compared to 2019. The company has not announced plans for the transition of this sector to zero emissions.

• In 2023, Amazon Logistics U.S. dock-to-door delivery pollution generated 5.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (+18% average year-over-year since 2019). Amazon’s emissions are projected to continue growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.5%-11.5% through 2030.

In the near term, the report concludes that Amazon should commit to zero-emission deliveries in the last mile and maritime sectors. Amazon also must show a verifiable roadmap to zero-emission shipping in heavy-duty trucking by 2035 and aviation by 2040, and it must commit to putting its goods on zero-emission maritime ships by 2030. If the company fails to take these steps, it will put our climate and communities in peril during the remaining years of this critical decade.

“No one should be fooled by Amazon’s greenwashing,” said Joshua Archer, Senior Global Corporate Campaigner at Stand.earth. “The company remains a prime polluter, despite its efforts to position itself as a climate champion. There’s still time to correct course, and we are eager to join Amazon leadership at the table and discuss real solutions that protect our climate and communities.”

“Amazon’s heavy-duty trucks and last-mile delivery vans are a disaster for the climate and frontline communities,” said Aslihan Tumer, International Coordinator at the Clean Mobility Collective. “This report shows the magnitude of the threat and underscores the need for Amazon to act. The promises Amazon made in the Climate Pledge don’t go nearly far enough.”

“While the globe is burning, Amazon is doing little to address emissions from shipping their products. Addressing the climate crisis is urgent and portside communities are paying the price. Amazon’s maritime emissions have risen 26% since 2019, and idling ships carrying Amazon products inbound are poisoning frontline communities who bear the brunt of port pollution. This is greenwashing at its finest. Amazon must act now and commit to zero-emission, fossil-free ocean shipping by 2030,” said Erika Thi Patterson, Ship It Zero spokesperson.

Amazon has the market-shaping power and responsibility to innovate shipping and logistics consistent with the principles of climate and environmental justice. Amazon has an estimated 38% share of the U.S. e-commerce market. As a shipping and logistics company, Amazon Logistics has overtaken FedEx and UPS to become the largest delivery company in the U.S., with a 27% share of parcel volume. In 2023, Amazon Logistics shipped an estimated 8.9 billion parcels globally. Amazon also contracts with third parties, such as Delivery Service Providers, USPS, and UPS, for last-mile delivery, delivering a conservative estimate of almost 15 billion parcels globally (see Annex: Data and Methodology).