AWS Data Centres Sustainability Boost Amid Emissions Rise
Amazon’s 2024 Sustainability Report highlights energy and emissions performance across its global operations, with Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centres recording improved efficiency despite a rise in absolute emissions for Amazon.
The company confirms its target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 remains in place, alongside investments in renewable energy, circularity and water stewardship across its infrastructure.
While total carbon emissions rose from 64.38 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO₂e) in 2023 to 68.25 MTCO₂e in 2024, Amazon reports a decline in the carbon intensity of its business.
Its emissions per dollar of gross merchandise sales fell from 75.6g CO₂e to 72.6g CO₂e, indicating improved operational efficiency in relation to output.
Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon, addresses this in the report.
“Looking ahead, we recognise that the path to being a more sustainable company will never be linear, because we’re charting new territory at an unprecedented scale,” she says.
“While we are firm on our goals, our approach will continuously evolve with emerging challenges and opportunities, as we’re seeing with the rapid adoption of AI. No matter what we’re faced with in the future, we’ll remain steadfast in our commitment to sustainability and will continue to invest, innovate and obsess over our progress each year, with the same intensity and focus that has defined Amazon from Day One.”
AWS shows performance improvements on energy and water
Across AWS data centres, Amazon achieved a global power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.15, compared to the industry average of 1.25. PUE is a standard measure of data centre efficiency, with lower values indicating better energy performance.
Amazon also continued to match 100% of electricity consumed by its global operations, including AWS, with renewable energy — a milestone first reached in 2023.
In water use, AWS is targeting water positive status by 2030. In 2024, the company reports 53% progress toward that goal. This includes projects aimed at restoring more water than its direct operations consume, with an example target set for India to achieve net positive water use across its direct operations by 2027.
The report also addresses hardware-related waste and packaging.
In 2024, Amazon eliminated plastic air pillows from delivery packaging worldwide, replacing them with recyclable paper alternatives.
This change contributed to a 16.4% drop in single-use plastic packaging globally.
In terms of waste diversion, Amazon achieved an 85% landfill diversion rate, improving from 84% the year before.
Data centres benefit from broader corporate ESG actions
Amazon’s broader sustainability programme supports AWS operations and other infrastructure across logistics, retail and cloud services.
Electric vehicle (EV) deployment increased from more than 19,000 to over 31,000 delivery vans globally in 2024. In India, the company reached its 2025 goal of deploying 10,000 EVs a year ahead of schedule.
Amazon also reports that energy used by active Echo, Fire TV and Ring devices is now matched with operational wind and solar capacity. This complements progress under The Climate Pledge, which Amazon co-founded in 2019 to encourage companies to commit to net zero carbon by 2040. In 2024, signatories to the Pledge reached 549.
Sally Fouts, Director of The Climate Pledge at Amazon, said on LinkedIn: “As a co-founder and signatory of The Climate Pledge, Amazon has helped build a framework for collective action and accountability. Reporting like this is a reminder that progress isn’t always linear—but it is essential. When businesses measure and report openly, they create clarity, trust and momentum for others to follow.”
Community investment and technology access also form part of Amazon’s ESG strategy. The company distributed US$60m in AWS cloud credits to global health organisations, reaching its stated target.
More than 31 million people received free cloud computing skills training, while over two million accessed free AI training. Through the Amazon Future Engineer programme, more than 7.8 million students from underserved communities were reached worldwide.
Amazon’s total investment in affordable housing reached US$2.2bn in 2024, resulting in over 21,000 homes created or preserved. The company aims to grow this to US$3.6bn to support more than 35,000 homes.
AWS continues to operate at the centre of Amazon’s infrastructure and sustainability strategy, with energy and water targets firmly in view as AI and cloud demand increase across its global network.
