AWS Adds Data Centre Water Metrics to Sustainability Console

Amazon Web Services has added water withdrawal data to its Sustainability console.

The cloud computing company now tracks water usage alongside carbon emissions for its customers.

The data centre operator reports its facilities use seven times less water than industry averages. AWS has completed 75% of its target to become water positive by 2030.

Tracking water through the console

The AWS Sustainability console provides Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions data linked to customer cloud usage. Teams can access emissions data with more flexibility than before.

The platform builds on the company's Customer Carbon Footprint Tool by combining emissions data and reporting tools into a single location. Teams no longer need to switch between multiple services for sustainability reporting.

AWS Sustainability console displays data using location-based and market-based methodologies. This could ensure transparency and alignment with carbon accounting standards.

In March 2026, Amazon Web Services released the water withdrawals feature to the system. Customers can now view both metrics from the same interface.

How customers access water data

AWS customers can view water withdrawals by region, service and account. The company calculates withdrawal data using the AWS Customer Water Withdrawal Methodology, which has received independent review.

The methodology extends carbon reporting principles to water stewardship. This could help companies automate reporting and simplify compliance processes.

Alexis Bateman, Head of Sustainability at AWS, says on LinkedIn: "AWS is now the first cloud provider to show customers exactly how much water we withdraw on their behalf, based on their actual cloud usage.

"Today, we're adding that visibility to the AWS Sustainability console. We built it because you can't improve what you can't see and customers told us they wanted the same clarity on water that we provide on carbon.

"Now they can see both, in the same place. Transparency isn't a 'nice-to-have' anymore – it's a prerequisite for building trust."

AWS encourages organisations to identify water efficiency opportunities through the console. Companies can optimise cloud workloads, adopt water-smart building technologies and support community water initiatives.

Corporate response to water tracking

Céline Lescop, Global Digital Sustainability Executive Lead at AXA Group Operations, says: "We are expanding our environmental monitoring to include the water footprint of our cloud services.

"It completes our existing measurements of GHG emissions and energy consumption, giving us a full picture of our environmental impact and allows us to identify and prevent negative trade-offs, ensuring we create holistic solutions rather than shifting problems from one resource to another."

The addition could allow companies to monitor water and carbon metrics simultaneously. This might help organisations avoid transferring environmental problems between different resources.

According to AWS, the console centralises sustainability reporting into a single interface. Teams previously had to navigate multiple services to access this information.

The company's methodology applies the same principles to water that it uses for carbon reporting. This could standardise how customers track environmental impact across different metrics.

Water efficiency in operations

Amazon's Water Positive Methodology includes three pillars: reduce, reuse and replenish. The strategy focuses on minimising freshwater demands from facilities and investing in replenishment projects.

AWS has improved water efficiency through custom cooling technology and smarter systems. The company minimises water use across its operations where possible.

In water-stressed regions, AWS does not use water for cooling. In other facilities, data centres use free air cooling around 90% of the time.

According to AWS, these commitments make its data centres more than seven times more water-efficient than the industry average. The company invests in projects to increase water access, accessibility and quality.

AWS supports more than 50 water replenishment projects worldwide. These initiatives restore watersheds, improve infrastructure and bring clean water services to water-stressed communities.

The projects could return more than 21bn litres of water annually to local communities once completed. AWS has reached 75% of its goal to be water positive by 2030.