20-20 Vision
20-20 Vision
Amazon’s amazing vision Since Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 it has been a visionary force in global online shopping. This is not only in terms of its innovative retail shopping business model, but also in its dedication to protecting the planet. As most are aware, all figures relating to Amazon’s activities are off the scale. This is particularly true of its unparalleled contribution to sustainability and the circular economy, as Philip Yorke reports. Amazon is based in Seattle, Washington State, and focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is considered one of the big five companies in the U.S. information technology industry, along with Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook. The company has been referred to as “one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world”, as well as the world’s most valuable brand. In 2020 Amazon employed over 1.3 million people worldwide and in the same year, its two day delivery service ‘Prime’ exceeded 150 million customers. Currently the company’s global assets are valued at around $230 billion.
Prime packaging When it comes to packaging, it is Amazon that sets the standards, and the pace. Bezos said, “Our customers want right-sized, recyclable packaging that minimises waste and ensures damage-free delivery. We work to reinvent and simplify our sustainable packaging options using a science-based approach that combines lab testing, machine learning, materials science, and manufacturing partnerships to scale sustainable change across the packaging supply chain”. And it is not just in the field of packaging that Amazon excels. The company’s total renewable energy investments can be counted in hundreds of millions of dollars. As a result, the company is able to supply 7.0 gigawatts (GW) of electricity production capacity, which is enough to power almost two million households for one year.
16 SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING NEWS
Amazon has also recently announced plans to add 26 utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, totalling another 3.4 GW of electricity production capacity, bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects and more than 4 GW of capacity the largest corporate investment in renewable energy in a single year. These new projects will make the company the largest-ever corporate purchaser of renewable energy.