Is Amazon Failing on its Maritime Decarbonization Commitments

Is Amazon Failing on its Maritime Decarbonization Commitments?

Ship It Zero's new maritime decarbonization progress report shows Amazon 'trending down' since its last report card grade of 'D'

Date:October 8, 2024

As Amazon races to kickoff the holiday season with its two-day Prime Day member events on October 8th and 9th, Pacific Environment's Ship It Zerocampaign is again sounding the alarm about the harms caused by Amazon's ever-increasing fossil-fueled deliveries with the launch of the Ship It Zero 2024 Amazon Decarbonization Progress Report.

The progress report follows Ship It Zero's 2023 Report Cardgrading more than two dozen retailers and shipping carriers on their progress towards rapid decarbonization and development of zero-emission fuels for maritime shipping. Amazon was one of the poorest performing retailers, earning only a "D" in its climate progress. Unfortunately, its track record on addressing maritime shipping emissions remained unchanged and has arguably worsened.

Read the full progress report

Where is Amazon failing?

The Ship It Zero campaign highlights a number of areas of where Amazon is failing:

• Since the 2023 Report Card, the Ship It Zero campaign reviewed four metrics for the progress report including: (1) the trajectory of emissions from maritime shipping over the last five years has increased (2) interim actions towards zero-emissions shipping are more akin to greenwashing than comprehensive climate action; (3) Amazon has failed to take leadership despite its market share and industry influence; and (4) the retailer has failed to commit to a plan that would meet a 1.5 degree Celsius trajectory, a critical threshold defined by climate scientists to avert irreversible climate chaos, defined in the Paris Agreement for maritime shipping.
• To date, Amazon's commitments and language for net zero emissions shipping - an unachievable goal for reducing emissions - by 2040 have been vague, with no clear benchmarks. These so-called goals make Amazon look "climate conscious" without truly creating any accountability or tangible goals to measure results.
• On September 12, 2024, a joint investigationby Stand.earth Research Group (SRG), the Clean Mobility Collective (CMC), and the Ship it Zero (SiZ) campaign revealed Amazon's greenhouse gas emissions have dramatically increased since the announcement of Amazon's Climate Pledge. From 2019 to 2023, Amazon's maritime emissions saw a 26% increase.
• In May 2023, Amazon quietly made a U-turn on its Shipment Zero goal, saying that it "no longer made sense" to have a climate goal for shipping that was separate from its other emissions.

Statements & quotes

"Amazon has the power and influence to shape the future of zero-emission shipping, but a year after our last report card, Amazon is failing to seize this opportunity," said Jonathan Butler with Ship It Zero. "We need Amazon to move from Prime Polluter to First Mover by committing to clean up its shipping act and committing to 100% zero-emission ocean shipping by 2030.Frontline and fenceline communities around the globe continue to pay the price of inaction on fossil fuel pollution and climate change. Amazon needs to turn the ship around and create a cleaner future for portside communities bearing the brunt of burning fossil fuels."

"We already know that Amazon's shipping and logistics network operates at a tremendous cost to our communities," said Joshua Archer with Stand.earth."This progress report is further evidence of the need for the company to take immediate action. We are eager to engage Amazon in deeper conversation about its role and responsibility in a shipping future that respects communities and aligns with the latest science on climate change. As a first step, Amazon must provide a roadmap to zero-emission maritime shipping by 2030."

What's at stake?

Emissions from transportation impact the health of frontline and fenceline communities, such asthe 39 million peoplein the United States who live near ports. Frontline and fenceline communities around the globe continue to pay the price of inaction on climate change. Fossil-fueled ships spew pollution linked to increased rates of asthma and other respiratory conditions in portside communities, which are predominantly lower-income communities and communities of color. One of the busiest ports in the country, the Port of Long Beach, is home to thousands of families who are exposed to elevated risks of asthma and lung disease from port pollution,70% of whom are people of color.

What's the opportunity?

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. An Adobe Analytics holiday shopping report covered by CNETexpects a retail frenzy to deliver a record $240.8 billion shopping season this year, handily topping last year's $222.1 billion figure.

According to Amazon, on the first day of Prime Big Deal Days in 2023, U.S. Prime members purchased more than 25 million items with same-day or next-day delivery, with hundreds of thousands of items delivered within four hours of purchase.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.

A prime polluter

Highlights from Prime Polluter:

• From 2019 to 2023, Amazon has increased its U.S. 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).

• 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.

Media contacts

Gwen Dobbs, Pacific Environment, [email protected], 202-329-9295 (Pacific Time)

Shane Reese, Corporate Campaigns Media Director, Stand.earth, [email protected], +1 919 339 3785 (Eastern Time)

About Stand.earth Research Group
Stand.earth Research Group (SRG) obtains crucial information to help build campaigns on critical issues. SRG specializes in chain of custody research, identifying and tracking raw materials as they move through complex supply chains, tracking environmental destruction and human rights violations to help hold corporate actors accountable and, ultimately, change corporate practices.

About Pacific Environment
Pacific Environment works to stop climate change and ensure healthy ecosystems around the Pacific Rim for the benefit of people and our planet. We campaign to stop climate change by working to fast-track key industries toward zero carbon emissions. We focus on major global industries that have received less public attention but whose carbon emissions are significant and still growing: the maritime shipping and the petrochemical (plastics) industries.

About Ship it Zero
Ship It Zero is a climate and public health campaign to move the world's largest retail companies to 100% zero-emission ocean shipping. We are pushing corporations to take responsibility for their ocean shipping pollution and lead the way to climate-friendly, clean-air shipping practices.

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