Amazon says it runs on 100% clean power, employees say total is far lower

Amazon announced on Wednesday, July 10, it has achieved its goal of running entirely on renewable electricity, seven years ahead of its initial projections. However, the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice (AECJ) is challenging this assertion, claiming in a report that the company may not be telling the whole truth.

According to the AECJ, only about 22% of Amazon’s operations actually run on clean power. The group also claims that Amazon significantly undercounts the carbon pollution it is responsible for.

“What Amazon emits in one year is equivalent to you or I deciding to take a long-haul plane flight every day for 97,700 years,” the AECJ said in its report. “In fact, Amazon is operating at the scale of a country, and not a small country either. Amazon’s emissions at 71.27 million metic tons CO2 equivalent, by its own calculations, rank 48th, ahead of 167 countries’ emissions in 2022.”

Amazon sells a wide range of products not manufactured by the company on its website, and the AECJ said it does not include the life cycle emissions of these goods in its carbon footprint calculations. Instead, Amazon only accounts for the emissions from products it manufactures, which comprise just 1% of the company’s total sales.

However, in a statement issued to Straight Arrow News, Amazon disputed the findings of the AECJ’s report and said its own data provided the correct information.

“Amazon’s Sustainability Report has the correct data, transparent published methodologies, and third party assurance,” an Amazon spokesperson told SAN. “The paper you’re referring has incorrect findings and assumptions, likely because, as its authors admit, it’s based on data and opinion from outside the company.”

Amazon has highlighted its billions of dollars in investments toward renewable energy projects worldwide. The company has funded more than 500 wind and solar projects globally, which together can generate enough energy to power over 7.5 million U.S. homes.

“Our teams will remain ambitious, and continue to do what is right for our business, our customers, and the planet,” Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst said in a statement. “That’s why we’ll continue investing in solar and wind projects, while also supporting other forms of carbon-free energy, like nuclear, battery storage, and emerging technologies that can help power our operations for decades to come.”

Amazon maintains that this represents a significant milestone in its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon operations by 2040, a goal that some of its employees believe the company will struggle to meet.