How Does Amazon Decarbonise Its Global Building Portfolio?

Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, but its digital dominance comes with a monumental physical footprint.

Whether it’s office blocks, warehouses, fulfilment centres, grocery stores or vehicle depots, Amazon is one of the world’s largest users of commercial real estate.

Naturally, with such a large amount of property comes a large carbon footprint. 

The company sees this as an opportunity rather than an insurmountable problem.

“Amazon has thousands of buildings spread across over 60 countries, and each of them is an opportunity to affect change,” says Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon.

“We’re focusing on innovative ways we can move the needle to decarbonise our buildings - from materials and methods, to energy consumption and operational impacts.”

It’s a unique challenge, but one that Amazon is preparing to tackle head-on.

According to Chris Roe, Director of Worldwide Carbon at Amazon, the company is focusing on five key areas in its building decarbonisation strategy: 

1. Prioritise carbon-free energy 
2. Increase energy efficiency 
3. Use lower carbon refrigerants
4. Utilise lower carbon construction materials 
5. Reduce onsite water consumption and waste generation

But how exactly will Amazon achieve all this?

What is Zero Carbon Certification?

The company has already achieved some notable milestones in its sustainability journey when it comes to the built environment, with multiple facilities earning Zero Carbon Certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).

In Liberty, Missouri, Amazon's sortation facility has become the largest logistics facility and new construction to achieve this prestigious certification.

"This facility, which serves the Kansas City metro area, integrates lower-carbon materials with energy-efficient systems, including high-efficiency air conditioning and air curtains on man doors, creating a comfortable environment for our associates while reducing the annual energy usage by approximately 33% compared to the industry baseline," Chris reveals in a blog post about Amazon’s decarbonisation projects.

Similarly, the company’s Sacramento facility stands as North America's first ILFI Zero Carbon Certified logistics facility.

This building operates without on-site fossil fuels and incorporates energy-efficient conveyor systems that reduce equipment energy consumption by 38%.

Innovative materials and systems

Sustainable materials obviously play a huge part in the overall sustainability of a building, and Amazon is trying to introduce greener materials to several of its sites.

The company's second headquarters in Arlington uses 70-foot-long glue-laminated mass timber beams that replace more carbon-intensive materials like steel and concrete.

This particular building earned LEED Platinum certification (one of the highest standards for sustainable construction) and matches 100% of its electricity consumption with renewable energy.

Elsewhere in the grocery sector, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market are implementing natural refrigerants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Our Amazon Fresh grocery store in Seattle—the world's first ILFI Zero Carbon Certified grocery store—features a natural CO₂-based refrigeration system that uses carbon dioxide as a refrigerant instead of synthetic chemicals with higher global warming potential," Chris says in his blog.

Scaling solutions and industry collaboration

For Amazon to make a real impact in decarbonising its real estate, it has to scale these innovations right across its portfolio.

So far in 2025, the company has conducted more than 200 on-site energy audits to identify efficiency opportunities in existing assets.

And when it comes to power generation, it has built nearly 300 on-site solar installations across its facilities globally, capable of generating enough electricity to power around 45,000 US homes.

Through its Climate Pledge Fund, the company is investing in more than 20 companies working on building-related solutions, including Paebbl, which transforms CO₂ into carbon-storing building materials, and 14Trees, which accelerates the production of lower-carbon buildings using 3D printing technology.

The company is also collaborating with government agencies and industry bodies to overcome any technological constraints that might halt progress.

"We're collaborating with the Department of Energy to develop more efficient air-conditioning equipment and helping to define the United Kingdom's Net Zero Carbon Building Standard," Chris explains.

All in all, Amazon is aiming to reach net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement timeline.

Decarbonising its built environment will be a huge part of that journey, as the construction, use and maintenance of buildings contribute to about 40% of global carbon emissions.

As Kara says: “Sustainability work isn’t just about changing how we operate. It’s also about transforming the buildings we work in.”

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