The company will drop $10-million in Closed Loop Fund to increase recycling rates across the US. (Image credit: Amazon)
According to a recent report from Statista, the world is on track to generate nearly 50-tons of e-waste this year alone, and the numbers are expected to rise. You only need to look at the number of mobile devices, computers, IoT devices, monitors, and other electronics we buy and discard every year, and those rising numbers become self-explanatory.
In order to help bolster the recycling infrastructure in the US, Amazon has pledged to invest $10-million in Closed Loop Fund to increase recycling rates across the country. The company states that their investment will increase curbside recycling availability for 3-million homes in various areas that span the country. If their numbers are correct, this initiative will stop 1-million pounds of recyclable material from entering landfills- elimination roughly 2-million tons of CO2 by 2028.
Closed Loop Fund invests in sustainable consumer goods, efficient manufacturing endeavors, recycling efforts, and all things green in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations Dave Clark stated, “This investment will help build the local capabilities needed to make it easier for our customers and their communities to recycle and to increase the amount of material recycled across the country. We are investing in Closed Loop Fund’s work because we think everyone should have access to easy, convenient curbside recycling. The more we are all able to recycle, the more we can reduce our collective energy, carbon, and water footprint.”
Amazon plans to install 20MW of solar storage systems at their UK fulfillment centers in the next 18 months. (Image credit: Amazon)
While staying on the green scene, Amazon also announced they would be installing solar panels on top of their fulfillment centers in the UK, which is expected to generate 20MW of power in the next 18 months. The company says it will produce the energy equivalent of the amount of electricity that can power 4,500 UK homes, which will reduce the amount of CO2 by 6,000 tons annually.
The company has also signed a deal that will provide 100% of renewable energy to all of their UK buildings, which will be backed by REGO’s (Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin certificates)- meaning all the power the company buys will come from renewables such as solar and wind.
Amazon also plans to install battery systems at some of its fulfillment centers to participate in some of the UK’s energy initiatives in local distribution network operations as well as the National Grid. The company states that those batteries will be recharged during low-peak times where energy demand is minimal.
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