Amazon Air is starting to use sustainable fuel as part of its promise to be net zero carbon by 2040. What's still unclear is if the e-commerce giant will use it at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, its air hub.
In a 12-month deal with World Energy and Shell, Amazon bought six million gallons of green fuel. It's made from a feedstock of inedible agricultural waste fats and oils and Amazon says it has the power to reduce carbon emissions by up to 20%.
Director of Planning and Performance Raoul Sreenivasan says the investment does two things.
"Number one, it will reduce our overall carbon footprint. But even more importantly from our point of view, we hope and believe that by making an investment in aviation fuel it starts to build demand. We know that the fuel industry is seeking out increased access to low-carbon aviation fuel solutions," he says.
Amazon has tested the fuel on two flights originating from Seattle. One went to Arizona and the other flew to Connecticut.
Amazon will use the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at existing airports where it operates. What's not clear is if it will also be used at CVG. "We will launch later next year and at that time we will make a decision on our overall fuel plans as well as the potential use of SAF at that site," says Sreenivasan.
He acknowledges cargo is a highly carbon intensive area over all of Amazon's supply chain and the company "is committed to identifying sustainable measures."
