Technology and e-commerce giant Amazon has announced that it aims to make 50 percent of all of its shipments with net zero carbon by 2030.

The company plans on achieving this goal by leveraging renewable energy, biofuels, and reusable packaging. The company calls this initiative “Shipment Zero.”

To track its progress, Amazon plans to share a company-wide carbon footprint, along with related goals and programs, later this year. The company claims that this follows an extensive project over the past two years to develop a scientific model to map carbon footprint to provide its business teams with detailed information which may help them identify ways to reduce carbon use in their businesses.

Amazon has been actively pursuing its sustainability goals over the last five years.

In November 2014, Amazon Web Services (AWS) shared its long-term commitment to achieve 100 percent renewable energy usage for the global AWS infrastructure footprint. In the United States AWS has installed over 700 MW of wind and solar energy projects.

According to the company, these renewable energy projects are expected to deliver over 2 million MWh of energy annually onto the electric grid powering AWS data centers located in the AWS U.S. East (Ohio) and AWS U.S. East (N. Virginia) Regions. The electricity produced from these projects is enough to power the equivalent of over 190,000 U.S. homes annually, which is approximately the size of the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

In March 2018, American multinational technology company Microsoft announced the completion of its first renewable energy deal in India. Under the agreement, the company would purchase 3 MW of solar-power from Atria Power for its new office building in Karnataka’s capital city, Bengaluru.

In June 2018, Mercom reported on the news of Amazon India planning to set up 8,000 kW of rooftop solar installations by the end of the year at its fulfillment centers and sorting facilities across the country.  The initiative was aimed at generating clean energy to make its centers self-sustaining. Amazon has already installed 1,600 kW of solar panels at its centers in Delhi and Hyderabad. In the next expansion phase, five fulfillment centers and two sorting facilities in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Chennai will see rooftop solar installations. The company also has plans to expand its rooftop solar capacity at its fulfillment center in Delhi.

In July 2018, consumer technology company, Apple, announced that it would invest $300 million in the China Clean Energy Fund over the next four years.

Image credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images

Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.