Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040
-
0:01 - 0:03Lindsay Levin: So Dave,
in just a few months, -
0:03 - 0:07you transition into a new role
as CEO of consumer retail at Amazon. -
0:07 - 0:08That's a big role.
-
0:08 - 0:11How will climate sit
as a priority for you, -
0:11 - 0:13given all the other things
you'll have on your plate? -
0:14 - 0:17Dave Clark: We've spent
much of our end of the summer -
0:17 - 0:19in smoke-filled Seattle,
-
0:19 - 0:23unable to enjoy the majestic
Pacific Northwest due to all the fires -
0:23 - 0:28that encompassed the West Coast
of the US this summer. -
0:28 - 0:33Climate is a very real challenge
for all of us, not just at Amazon, -
0:33 - 0:35but in our daily lives at this point.
-
0:36 - 0:40And I've been focused on this
with the team and with Kara for years now. -
0:40 - 0:43In fact, we've embedded
the sustainability teams -
0:43 - 0:45inside of our operations team,
-
0:45 - 0:47as opposed to being
a separate part of the company, -
0:47 - 0:51because we wanted those teams
connected with the groups -
0:51 - 0:53that can actually make change.
-
0:53 - 0:56LL: Kara, can you describe
a couple of the biggest hurdles you face -
0:56 - 0:58as you work to reduce
the carbon footprint -
0:58 - 0:59of a company like Amazon?
-
0:59 - 1:03Kara Hurst: One of the really exciting
but also complex things about Amazon -
1:03 - 1:05is the diversity
of businesses that we're in, -
1:05 - 1:08the range of services and products,
-
1:08 - 1:11of industries and different types
of buildings and stores -
1:11 - 1:12and fulfillment centers,
-
1:12 - 1:17and of course, all of our online
infrastructure and business as well. -
1:17 - 1:20And we're committed to reaching
net zero emissions. -
1:20 - 1:23I think our size and our scale
can actually be a tremendous advantage. -
1:23 - 1:26It forces us to think about
our carbon footprint -
1:26 - 1:28throughout all of our businesses,
-
1:28 - 1:32our operations, our technologies,
our services, our products. -
1:32 - 1:33And at one end,
-
1:33 - 1:38we want to power our operations
by 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, -
1:38 - 1:41but we're also making sure
that when you receive a shipment, -
1:41 - 1:44we're at net zero carbon
all the way through those operations. -
1:44 - 1:47And we want to do this
in a very Amazonian way. -
1:47 - 1:51So we took a number of years to build
what we call "a carbon system of record." -
1:51 - 1:55These are tools that allow us
to think about this holistically -
1:55 - 1:56across the company.
-
1:56 - 1:58LL: Dave, Amazon has made a pledge,
-
1:58 - 2:00you call it "the Climate Pledge,"
-
2:00 - 2:02to be net zero across
your business by 2040. -
2:02 - 2:05That's 10 years ahead
of the Paris Agreement. -
2:05 - 2:09Give us a sense of the scale
of transformation that that calls for -
2:09 - 2:11across your operations.
-
2:12 - 2:13DC: It's very daunting.
-
2:13 - 2:15When we started this process,
-
2:15 - 2:17we started from a position of science,
-
2:17 - 2:20of digging in and understanding
all the inputs of our business, -
2:20 - 2:24what parts of our business create
and put carbon into the environment, -
2:24 - 2:27what are the elements,
each piece of that process, -
2:27 - 2:29and how do we improve them.
-
2:29 - 2:31And as we started looking at that,
-
2:31 - 2:34we said, well, how are we going
to meet these objectives? -
2:34 - 2:38And it really requires innovation across
almost every aspect of the business, -
2:38 - 2:41whether it be in our renewable space,
-
2:41 - 2:43whether it be in electrification
of our vehicles, -
2:43 - 2:46whether it be in
our packaging and processes, -
2:46 - 2:48whether it be working with manufacturers.
-
2:48 - 2:50Essentially, the entire span
of our supply chain -
2:51 - 2:54is required to modify to meet
the objectives of this over time, -
2:54 - 2:56which is why the Climate Pledge
was so important. -
2:56 - 2:59LL: Kara, the Climate Pledge
is not just about Amazon. -
2:59 - 3:01You're inviting other
companies to join you. -
3:01 - 3:04KH: We know with the Climate Pledge
we cannot do this alone. -
3:04 - 3:06It's going to take companies,
-
3:06 - 3:10but partnership also with governments
and communities and individuals -
3:10 - 3:13who will come up with solutions
and new technologies. -
3:13 - 3:16We want to engage our full supply chain
-
3:16 - 3:17as well as other companies,
-
3:17 - 3:21and we're really excited
that already 11 major organizations -
3:21 - 3:24have signed on to
the Climate Pledge with us. -
3:24 - 3:25We want to accelerate innovation,
-
3:26 - 3:29and we've established
a two-billion-dollar Climate Pledge Fund -
3:29 - 3:31to invest in these companies
-
3:31 - 3:34whose products and solutions
will facilitate the transition -
3:34 - 3:36to a low-carbon economy.
-
3:36 - 3:38So we know this is
a very ambitious challenge, -
3:38 - 3:43but we want to make the greatest impact
in the shortest possible timeline, -
3:43 - 3:47and it's exciting to share the complexity
about how we think about this at Amazon -
3:47 - 3:48with other companies
-
3:48 - 3:50and invite them to come along with us.
-
3:50 - 3:52LL: Dave, when
a company like Amazon moves, -
3:53 - 3:55it can have a huge impact
across supply chains. -
3:55 - 3:59Give us an example or two
of how a decision that you've made -
3:59 - 4:04is catalyzing innovation
across the sector. -
4:04 - 4:06DC: I can tell you,
just the example of Rivian. -
4:07 - 4:10Rivian is the electric
vehicle manufacturer -
4:10 - 4:13that is going to build 100,000
electric delivery vehicles -
4:13 - 4:14for our delivery fleet.
-
4:14 - 4:16When we went out and made this investment,
-
4:16 - 4:20the number of new companies
that started to spawn -
4:20 - 4:22relative to supporting Rivian,
-
4:22 - 4:25to new electric delivery vehicles,
-
4:25 - 4:27to even alternative fuels --
-
4:27 - 4:30we started getting calls
about alternative jet fuel -
4:30 - 4:33the day we put out
that announcement on Rivian. -
4:33 - 4:37So as soon as people saw
that we were going to invest real capital -
4:37 - 4:40for substantive portions
of our operations -- -
4:40 - 4:41these aren't hobbies,
-
4:41 - 4:46but putting real money
into big pieces of our operations -- -
4:46 - 4:51it was amazing, the amount of companies
that started coming out -
4:51 - 4:53who had an emergent technology here
-
4:53 - 4:58or had a great idea and needed help
in getting manufacturing started. -
4:58 - 5:00There was just example
after example of those. -
5:00 - 5:03LL: Dave, Kara, thank you so much
for being with us. -
5:03 - 5:05We wish you every success
with the Climate Pledge -
5:05 - 5:08and really can't wait to see the progress
you guys are going to make. -
5:09 - 5:12DC: Thank you, it's an honor to be here
and be part of such an amazing event. -
5:12 - 5:14KH: Thank you.
- Title:
- Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040
- Speaker:
- Dave Clark and Kara Hurst
- Description:
-
In 2019, Amazon signed the Climate Pledge, a commitment to become a net-zero carbon business by 2040. Dave Clark, Amazon's chief of consumer retail, and Kara Hurst, head of the company's sustainability efforts, sit down with entrepreneur and activist Lindsay Levin to discuss how the company is planning to reduce its carbon footprint across all aspects of business -- while inviting other companies to join them in this transformation.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 05:27
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040 | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040 | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040 | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040 | ||
Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for Amazon's climate pledge to be net-zero by 2040 |