Guest blog: Driving sustainable change in Amazon’s logistics operations

At Amazon we’re committed to reach our goal of being net-zero carbon across our operations by 2040, and we know the decarbonisation and electrification of our transportation network is a vital step on this journey.

This is why we were excited to recently announce we’ve made the UK’s biggest-ever order of electric trucks, while also leaning into multi-modal transport methods to further increase efficiencies and sustainability benefits across our network.

The number of electric trucks in our UK transportation network will grow from nine to more than 160 electric trucks over the next 18 months, transporting more than 300 million customer packages each year with no exhaust emissions once operational.

This order of more than 140 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 and eight Volvo FM Battery Electric trucks will help take traditional diesel vans and trucks off the UK’s roads, reduce carbon emissions, alleviate traffic congestion, and improve air quality.

We’re also installing fast charging infrastructure across our sites, including 360kW electric charging points capable of charging the 40-tonne Mercedes-Benz trucks from 20 to 80 per cent in just over an hour.

These electric trucks, operated by our carrier partners, will haul trailers with products and customer packages to and from our fulfilment centres, sort centres and finally delivery stations, from where packages are delivered to customers’ doorsteps.

For the first time, we’re now also using the UK’s electric rail network at scale. This is a good example of how we’re bringing together multi-modal transport methods to further reduce traffic congestion and emissions.

We’re loading products onto train carriages on the electric West Coast Main Line between Scotland and the Midlands, then picking them up from stations close to local Amazon delivery and fulfilment centres– ready for sorting and packing ahead of customer deliveries. Products are also transported from stations and Amazon’s wider fulfilment network to ferry ports, to further reduce on-road traffic, while giving small and medium sized UK businesses easier access to European markets.

We are also continuing to look for ways to make our customer deliveries even more sustainable. For example, we recently launched new on-foot deliveries across central London, with pilots developed in partnership with the London Boroughs of Hackney, Westminster and Islington. Delivery associates are now making customer deliveries on foot with carts that can be restocked on-the-go from vans dotted around the capital.

And we’re expanding electric deliveries across UK city centres, with recent electric cargo bike launches in Belfast and Norwich joining existing partner fleets in London, Manchester and Glasgow.

This is helping Amazon make more zero-exhaust emission deliveries than ever before, with fewer motorised van trips. In fact, to date, more than 500,000 Amazon customer delivery routes have changed from traditional fuel vehicles to zero-exhaust emission alternatives. And more than 70% of London’s Congestion Charge zone is now covered by electric vans, e-cargo bikes and on-foot deliveries, operated by Amazon’s partners.

As we continue to scale more sustainable delivery solutions, we remain committed to driving innovation, reducing our environmental impact, and making zero-exhaust emission deliveries the standard for the future.

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