March 19, 2025 2:00 AM
Tackling global water scarcity: Amazon’s commitment to water replenishment
Water sustains life on Earth, yet roughly half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity, with more than 2 billion people without access to safe drinking water.
Every year on March 22, World Water Day emphasizes the importance of global collaboration to protect our most precious shared resource. For Amazon, this day also serves as an opportunity to raise awareness about global water challenges and showcase our investments and innovations aimed at addressing widespread water scarcity issues.
Conserving water in our operations and returning water to communities
Amazon aims to be a good water steward everywhere it operates. For example, Amazon recently set a goal to replenish more water than we use across our India operations by 2027, and is committed to being “water positive” across all AWS data centers by 2030.
We’re reducing our water footprint by increasing the efficiency of our water use throughout our operations while also investing in ways to replenish water in our communities. Some examples:
- Amazon scaled harvesting and reuse solutions in its fulfillment centers, sort centers, and delivery stations around the world. We’ve also created a global water metering and leak detection program, with one pilot in the United Kingdom saving an estimated 700 million liters of leaked water over two years.
- The Boss Defrost’s powerful circulating pump system recycles meltwater instead of letting it run down the drain. Whole Foods Market stores in the Denver area with Boss Defrost systems installed saw overall store water usage decrease by an average of 12% between 2021 and 2022.
- In many of its data centers AWS uses direct evaporative cooling and free-air cooling systems to remove heat from servers in data centers. Recycled water is also used for cooling at 24 data centers worldwide, preserving valuable drinking water for communities and the environment.
- Amazon’s global corporate offices are increasingly using recycled water and low-flow fixtures. For example, at HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia, by capturing and reusing rainwater, shower water, and HVAC condensate, the building is expected to achieve 50% water savings below building code, and recycle 7.5 million gallons each year.
- Globally, Amazon’s 27 water replenishment projects are expected to return more than 8 billion liters of water annually once completed. These projects expand access to clean water and sanitation, improve water quality, and increase the water available to water-stressed communities. Some of these projects are already under way, while others are just commencing.
- For example, earlier this month we announced three projects in Spain that are expected to reduce flood risk for 700,000 residents in the province of Zaragoza, modernize critical infrastructure, and optimize agricultural water use through artificial intelligence (AI). And in India, Amazon has invested in five projects, including partnering with the global nonprofits Water.org and WaterAid to bring clean water and sanitation to over 250,000 people surrounding our regions there.
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Sharing what we’ve learned
To help other companies take similar steps to reduce water usage, we’ve created a public water stewardship program playbook available through the Amazon Sustainability Exchange. This resource is meant to be a starter guide for any organization looking to establish a similar water stewardship program.
