Thursday 5 March 2020

Amazon Prime’s same-day deliveries ‘could help reduce emissions’

Amazon Prime's same-day deliveries could actually be better for the environment than traditional deliveries.

The retail giant says it is now making the ultra-rapid delivery service for its shoppers even faster - Prime members in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas can now receive their purchases 'from click to doorstep' in only a few hours, with up to three million items marked “today by” available for this service.

The company says it is able to offer such fast deliveries by building new facilities even closer to customers, which it claims help it to lower carbon emissions in line with its pledge to reach net zero by 2040.

It notes this is largely down to the fact that shorter distances between warehouse depots and customers reduce the need for aircraft transport and also generally result in shorter 'last-mile' trips being made by lorry or van.

Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos recently committed to spending $10 billion (£.7.7bn) of his own money on tackling climate change -  the move follows thousands of Amazon staff signing a letter addressed to him and the Amazon Board of Directors calling for more action from the company on tackling environmental damage.