Nearly a quarter of global carbon emissions stem from the transportation sector, posing a major challenge to industry efforts to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. At Amazon, we are committed to transforming our transportation network with investments that help us deliver packages to our customers more sustainably.
We do that in a variety of ways, including the launch of new facilities that offer flexibility in their electric design and layout, electric vehicle software and next generation hardware, the purchase of six million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and alternative delivery methods. Our first big bet is putting 100,000 custom electric delivery vehicles – designed and built in partnership with Rivian – on the road by 2030. We also recently announced that we are deploying 1,800 electric delivery vehicles in Europe from Mercedes-Benz.
In June 2020, we launched the Climate Pledge Fund, a $2 billion investment program to support the development of sustainable and de-carbonizing technologies and services that will enable Amazon and other companies to meet the goals set by The Climate Pledge.
The fund is investing in visionary companies across industries, including transportation and logistics, energy generation, storage and utilization, manufacturing and materials, circular economy, and food and agriculture. The companies supported by the fund will facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Infinium, a renewable electrofuels solution provider, is the latest startup to receive an investment from the Climate Pledge Fund. The company focuses on converting carbon dioxide and hydrogen feedstocks into net-zero carbon fuels for use in today's air transport, marine freight, and heavy truck fleets. Infinium electrofuels can enable organizations to meet carbon reduction goals by accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels.
"We're thrilled to be working with Amazon to demonstrate the commercial impact of our technology," said Robert Schuetzle, CEO of Infinium. "Backing from the largest hydrogen-focused venture capital firm, AP Ventures, as well as support from Neuman & Esser, an international compressor solutions provider, and the Grantham Environmental Trust is a huge vote of confidence for the promise of electrofuels and our technology's ability to scale in order to meet today's urgent climate challenges. We expect that current projects under development will be the first broad-scale utilization of electrofuels by commercial vehicles, harmonizing hydrogen utilization and waste carbon capture."
"Amazon created The Climate Pledge Fund to support the development of technologies and services that will enable Amazon and other companies to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early—achieving net-zero carbon by 2040,” said Kara Hurst, Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon. “With Infinium, we see real potential to help de-carbonize heavier forms of transportation, including air and freight, as well as heavy trucks."
“The Climate Pledge Fund is an example of how the collaborative efforts of The Climate Pledge can accelerate the transition to a net-zero world. These investments will scale new technologies—helping organizations increase the pace at which operational emissions can be reduced,” said Christiana Figueres, the UN’s former climate change chief and founding partner of Global Optimism. “Together these companies demonstrate that there are endless possibilities in the clean, healthy recovery we must create together.”
Amazon has already announced investments in CarbonCure Technologies, Pachama, Redwood Materials, Rivian, Turntide Technologies, and ZeroAvia. These companies are creating de-carbonizing technologies that will help Amazon and other companies reach net-zero carbon by 2040.
Amazon continues to accept applications for The Climate Pledge Fund. Learn more about the Climate Pledge Fund.
