Cyber Monday is here, contributing to the meteoric rise of global e-commerce, which is expected to hit a staggering $6.3 trillion in 2023, and continue growing to over $8.1 trillion by 2026. While this surge in online shopping brings joy to consumers, it also raises a concerning specter—Amazon's last-mile delivery pollution and its ominous impact on our environment.
In 2022 alone, Amazon raked in a staggering $514 billion in revenue, with Prime Day sales reaching $12 billion, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales breaking records with what Amazon announced was its "biggest ever" holiday shopping weekend. In that four-day period of Black Friday through Cyber Monday, Amazon sold nearly half a billion items in the United States, accounting for roughly 10 percent of its products sold in 2022. That volume converts to an estimated 102,087 metric tons of CO2 emitted in its last-mile delivery, which is equivalent to the yearly CO2 emissions of about 23,000 vehicles in just that one holiday shopping weekend, alone.
The convenience of online shopping has undeniably fueled Amazon's profits, but at what cost? The environmental toll of Amazon's fossil fuel-powered delivery fleets is just beginning to surface. Despite Amazon's commitment to a net-zero carbon emission target by 2040, the tech giant remains shrouded in secrecy regarding its overall fleet size and the emissions from its last-mile delivery operations. The recent plan to acquire 100,000 electric Rivian vans seems promising, but the devil lies in the details.
According to Stand.earth Research Group, only 6.8 percent of Amazon's deliveries in Europe and less than 1 percent in the U.S. were made using zero-emission vehicles and micro-mobility technologies in 2021. Even with Amazon's pledge to have 100,000 electric vans on the road by 2030, this falls woefully short, accounting for only 20 percent to 30 percent of the projected parcel deliveries.
The subcontractor and gig work landscape in Amazon's last-mile delivery system further muddies the waters. The Clean Mobility Collective found that Amazon utilizes at least 2,000 companies with hundreds of independent contractors, often receiving minimal social protections and meager wages. Reports of drivers working grueling hours and compromising their health to meet delivery rates cast a shadow over the company's corporate responsibility.
This patchwork system of sub-contractors, both companies and gig workers, permits the bigger e-commerce companies to avoid audits and other oversight that would generate insight on their business practices. The lack of data, especially given the dependence and scale of subcontracting in the last-mile delivery ecosystem, is concerning because it makes it very difficult to hold companies accountable regarding CO2 and criteria pollutant emissions, labor rights, and social protections. Greater transparency is required for companies' actions to be evaluated against the scale of the problem.
The response from Amazon to calls for it to do more has been insufficient. Company spokesperson, Brad Glasser, countered a demonstration by environmental advocates outside the U.S. headquarters this past July by arguing, "We've already made significant progress on our path to decarbonizing our operations by 2040, and continue to prioritize investing and innovating in climate solutions across all areas of our business. That includes reaching 85 percent renewable energy across our entire operations, reducing excess packaging in our deliveries, and growing our transportation fleet with thousands of electric delivery vehicles all around the world—in fact, these vans were out on the road making Prime Day deliveries to customers in over 800 cities and regions across the U.S." And Kara Hurst, Amazon's worldwide sustainability vice president, added in the company's 2022 Sustainability Report, "You might not see all of the large-scale changes that we're making reflected imminently; our company thinks long-term."
But these commitments and platitudes carry little weight when Amazon has shown a penchant for backsliding and dragging its feet. Look no further than earlier this year when the company quietly eliminated its near-term goal of having 50 percent of shipments "net zero" by 2030, leaving only a broad "net zero" target by 2040. Given the anticipated climate and health impacts by 2030, this delay is unacceptable and a massive step backward for the company's commitment to curbing its environmental footprint.
As we brace for another surge in holiday deliveries, it's imperative that Amazon prioritizes transparency and takes immediate, substantial action. Greater disclosure about the composition of its delivery vehicles, emissions, and reinstituting a commitment to zero-emission deliveries by 2030 are essential.
This holiday season, let us call on Amazon to wield its influence responsibly, not only for the sake of the environment but also for the wellbeing of its workers. Living wages, safe working conditions, and a commitment to a sustainable future should be non-negotiable. Amazon's actions, or lack thereof, will echo far beyond the holiday season, shaping the narrative of corporate responsibility in the age of e-commerce.
Aslihan Tumer is the Clean Mobility Collective International Coordinator. She previously was Head of Global Campaigns for WWF International and a campaigner at Greenpeace International.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
