Even during dark times, there is always some light, gleaming at the end of the tunnel. In order to ignite a ray of hope for the future of our planet, Amazon India has committed to combat climate change through various sustainable actions.
As the clock strikes 8:30 pm on March 26, our corporate and customer support office spaces, Fulfillment Centers, Sort Centers and our network of Amazon-owned and partner delivery stations will together switch off, quite literally. This is a united stance to pause for an hour and stand by our planet. Along with millions of people across the world, the Amazon family in India will join hands in raising awareness about the rising concerns of climate change, energy conservation, and global warming by going ‘lights off’ for one hour, known as the ‘Earth Hour’ across the world.
The Earth Hour is a global phenomenon organized by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), that takes place each year, encouraging people and organizations to turn off non-essential electric appliances for one hour, on a particular day. Many Amazon employees have pledged to participate in this year’s Earth Hour initiative, which will contribute to this global movement of change and spread awareness about the importance of energy conservation through collaborative action.
Amazon India is leveraging its infrastructure to reiterate the importance of energy conservation during the Earth Hour.
To stir the special cause, this commitment also extends beyond Amazon’s buildings and will see participation from our delivery service partner stations and towns, including Arunmula, Leh, Kadi, Thiruvarur among others.
“At Amazon, sustainability is a priority, and we remain committed in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint by building an energy-efficient supply chain. With this initiative, Amazon India is leveraging its infrastructure to reiterate the importance of energy conservation during the Earth Hour. We thank our employees, associates, and partners who are joining us in switching off lights in their respective homes and workplaces in support of this movement,” said Abhinav Singh, Director- India Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain and Global Specialty Fulfilment, Amazon.
Amazon India’s multi-fold approach towards reducing its environmental impact across its operations includes clean energy generation. Reducing the dependency on conventional sources of energy, the company has made significant investments in clean energy generation through solar panel installations on the rooftops of 10 large Fulfillment Centers and sortation sites in India. These investments are part of Amazon’s long-term goal to power its global infrastructure using 100% renewable energy.
Furthermore, we have also invested in advanced building energy management systems that ensure lighting and climate controls are only used when and where the buildings are occupied.
In 2020, we had announced that our fleet of delivery vehicles in India will include 10,000 electric vehicles (EVs) by 2025. In 2022, Amazon and Global Optimism announced that more than 300 companies have now signed The Climate Pledge, and collectively aim to reduce greenhouse emissions and become net-zero by 2040.
We truly believe that ‘let there be light’, but only from renewable sources. Ensuring a bright future for the next generation starts with responsible actions today. We urge our partners, employees, and customers, to take part in the fight against climate change and contribute to the conservation of energy by opting for clean energy products, reducing electricity consumption, and minimizing wastage of finite resources, not just for an hour, but on a continued basis. Let this Earth Hour be the beginning of this new lifestyle change, which will be thanked by generations to come.
