The American multinational technology giant Amazon is expanding its sustainable projects in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt, as part of its commitment to its sustainability roadmap in this region.
The operations of Amazon MENA are in line with the company’s Climate Pledge, a global drive to achieve net-zero carbon across its businesses by 2040. This goal is fully aligned with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East Green Initiatives, which aim to unify sustainability efforts in the region to increase reliance on clean energy, offset the impact of fossil fuels and combat climate change.
Amazon targets to make all of its fulfillment centers in the MENA region to be powered by renewable energy, and support the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives’ drive to develop the local and regional clean energy sector. Two facilities in the Kingdom and Egypt are scheduled to adopt this technology by 2022.
In addition, the company is working to strengthen its control systems, data, and analytics to improve energy efficiency across all facilities with the implementation of state-of-the-art Building Management Systems (BMS).
Ronaldo Mouchawar VP – Amazon MENA
“We are proud to be operating in countries that have a heightened consciousness of the impact of climate change on future generations. As we embark on our path to a low carbon economy a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement, I call on businesses in MENA to join us as signatories to The Climate Pledge. By agreeing to decarbonize on a faster time horizon, we will play a critical role in stimulating innovation, policies and investment that will help to tackle the climate crisis in our communities, our countries and our region.”
Amazon has made ambitious commitments towards reaching its goal, including the deployment of carbon reduction strategies at every stage of the operations process, from the time an item is picked off the shelf in a fulfillment center, to the materials used to pack the item, and the transport that gets the package to the customer’s door.
Amazon is also transforming its delivery methods through the adoption of new technology, electric vehicles and alternative fuel to get packages to customers more sustainably. The company recently launched a solar rooftop in the UAE, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 2,500 tonnes each year.
The eCommerce giant is also planning to expand its Ship In Own Container program to more sellers across the region, eliminating the need for additional Amazon packaging across 10 percent of deliveries in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
Co-founded by Amazon in 2019, The Climate Pledge calls on signatories to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early through regular reporting, carbon elimination and credible offsets. More than 100 organizations have signed the Pledge to date.
