Amazonās Climate Pledge Projects: Water Stewardship in Spain
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization predicts global water demand will be 6,900 cubic kilometres by 2030, exceeding sustainable supply by 40%.
The organisation says that water stewardship is crucial to building on this supply in a sustainable way, bringing positive impacts for both people and nature.
Amazon's business covers a wide range of industries, all of which rely on water in some way.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), for example, requires water to cool its data centres and is committed to returning more water to communities than it uses by 2030.
In Spain, Amazon is turning runoff into a resource using a two kilometre pipeline in Pina de Ebro.
Sally Fouts, Director of The Climate Pledge at Amazon, said on Linkedin: āAt Amazon, we're committed to being a good water steward everywhere we operate.
āAlong the Ebro River in Spain, we've worked with Mediodes and the local irrigation community to develop a solution that truly matters to residents - a 2km pipeline that redirects agricultural runoff to nourish a community poplar grove.ā
Why is Spain facing water stress?
BBVA conducted research into why Spain is facing water stress.
The bank reports that some factors are due to climate change:
- Droughts lasting longer
- Rainfall getting heavier
- Heatwaves more frequent
- Wildfires being more destructive
The research found that this extreme weather is taking a toll on rivers, reservoirs and aquifers which is threatening key economic sectors like agriculture, energy and tourism.
The company believes that the main issue is the lack of sustainable water management, finding that 77% of extracted water in 2022 was used for agriculture or used in water stressed areas.
It also says that Spain's water infrastructure is outdated, lacks digitalisation, has limited storage capacity and has leaks.
According to the BBVA research, an annual investment of US$7m will be needed annually over the next decade to ensure water resilience in the country.
What is Amazon doing to help?
Amazon has installed a two kilometre pipeline along the Ebro River in Pina de Ebro.
In Spain, irrigation communities operate under strict annual water allocations set by river basin authorities to manage water availability across their regions.
The nutrient rich water from irrigated farmland used to flow directly into the Ebro River, but now the new pipeline captures the runoff redirecting it to a 70 hectare poplar grove.
The public forest previously relied on fresh water directly drawn from the main canal, but now the water used has already served its primary purpose.
Pablo SubĆas Cabrera, Secretary of the Pina de Ebro Irrigation Community, says: "Before this project, we faced a complex challenge.
"We needed to provide water for both our agricultural needs and our municipal poplar grove, all while staying within our water consumption limits.
"What makes this solution so effective is that we're using the water twice. We irrigate the crops, and then we irrigate the trees with the same water."
How is the pipeline positively impacting the area?
The pipeline is helping to conserve water while supporting both local farmers and the community forest.
Alongside conserving water, the grove acts as a filter.
Recycled water flows through the root systems of the trees, allowing nutrients to be absorbed that would normally have polluted the river water.
Amazon says this natural filtration helps improve water quality while providing the trees with valuable nourishment.
The system is expected to save 846 million litres of water being drawn from the Ebro river annually, reducing stress on the body of water.
Pina de Ebro Mayor Pablo Blanquet AbĆ³s says: "This new irrigation system demonstrates a commitment to sustainability while providing landscape and environmental value to our municipality.
"We must acknowledge AWS' collaboration with the territory in Aragon and their firm commitment to optimising water use."
The project is one of 29 water replenishment initiatives that Amazon has implemented globally.
Amazon's involvement in The Climate Pledge
The Climate Pledge is a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreementās target.
It was co-founded in 2019 by Amazon and Global Optimism and is now nearing 600 signatories.
When signing the Pledge, organisations agree to:
- Regular reporting: measuring and publicly reporting greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis
- Carbon elimination: implementing decarbonisation strategies in line with the Paris Agreement, including innovations like increased efficiency and use of renewable energy
- Credible offsets: offsetting any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, permanent and socially beneficial offsets to achieve net zero carbon emissions annually by 2040.
The Pledge also supports investments through mechanisms like the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, aiming to support development of technologies and products to accelerate decarbonisation.
BizClik, the digital media company behind Sustainability Magazine, joined The Climate Pledge in August 2025.
āWeāre not waiting for change; weāre building it,ā says Glen White, CEO of BizClik.
Discover how water stewardship and water positivity play into the sustainability strategies of the world's biggest companies at Sustainability LIVE events set around the world.
The Sustainability LIVE global events series, including Sustainability LIVE London and Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC, platforms leaders to share their deep expertise across sustainability.
Chris Walker, Director of Sustainability at AWS, will take the stage in New York City to discuss the Route to Net Zero and Hillary Tam, Sustainability Leader for EMEA at AWS, will explore the strategies of Chief Sustainability Officers in London, hosted by Sustainability Magazine and BizClik.
