Amazon is keen to point out it managed to lower the carbon intensity of its operations by 1.9%.
Amazon’s carbon emissions increased 18% last year as the company contended with extra pandemic-driven e-commerce demand.
According to its annual sustainability report (PDF), published Monday, Amazon emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021—up 18% from 2020, and nearly 40% more than 2019.
The firm is quick to point out, though, that its carbon intensity, which measures carbon dioxide per dollar of sales, dropped 1.9% in 2021 (compared to a 16% decline in 2020), marking its third consecutive decrease.
The COVID-19 pandemic proved a real boon for e-commerce: As of April 2020, online shopping accounted for nearly half of all US retail sales—a trend that continued through the holiday season.
