Amazon is holding firm on its promise to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, even as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes back against climate policies. At a May 2025 event in Germany, Andreas Marschne, Amazon’s Vice President for Global Engineering Services and Worldwide Operations Sustainability, doubled down on the company’s 2019 Climate Pledge, launched by Jeff Bezos. Despite Trump calling climate change a “hoax” and slamming net-zero policies as bad for energy costs and security, Amazon says its green goals are rock-solid, driven by customer demand and global commitments.

What Amazon’s Doing

Amazon’s latest sustainability report shows a dip in emissions, from 70.74 million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022 to 68.82 million in 2023. To keep that trend going, they’re making big moves:

Electric Vehicles: Amazon signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz for over 200 eActros 600 electric trucks, their biggest order of heavy electric trucks yet. About 150 will roll out in the UK, backed by fast-charging stations that juice up in just over an hour. They’re also adding more electric vans and bikes for city deliveries across Europe.
Cleaner Shipping: Amazon co-founded the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) to push for low-carbon shipping fuels, tackling the tough emissions from long-haul freight.
Smarter Packaging: A new tech builds custom-sized boxes for each order, cutting waste and fitting more packages per truck, which boosts delivery efficiency.

These steps build on Amazon’s 93,000+ electric delivery vehicles worldwide and renewable energy use, like powering 90% of its operations with clean energy in 2024.

Read more: Google’s AI Energy Accelerator Boosts Clean Tech in Europe and Israel

The Pushback

Not everyone’s buying Amazon’s green glow-up. Critics, including some environmental groups, claim the company’s emissions are creeping up, not down, pointing to its massive logistics network and reliance on fossil fuel-powered shipping and aviation. Amazon fired back, calling these claims “inaccurate” and based on shaky data. They argue their emissions intensity—carbon per dollar of sales—dropped 3% from 2022 to 2023, showing efficiency gains even as their business grows. Still, long-haul transport and supply chain emissions (Scope 3) remain a hurdle, making up 70% of their footprint.

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Why It Matters

Amazon’s Climate Pledge, now backed by over 400 companies, aims to beat the Paris Agreement’s 2050 net-zero target by a decade. With Trump’s policies threatening to gut climate rules—like the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy subsidies—Amazon’s stance is a bold signal to corporate America. Customers are on board too: 83% want sustainable brands, per a 2024 PwC survey.

What’s Next?

Amazon’s betting big on tech and partnerships to hit 2040. They’re eyeing e-fuels for aviation and expanding renewable energy to 100% by 2030. But Trump’s push to boost fossil fuels could raise costs for green tech, and regulatory rollbacks might slow progress. If Amazon keeps scaling its electric fleet and cutting waste, it could set a blueprint for retail giants.

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