PSC LIVE: Sustainability – Keynote from Amazon Freight

At Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: Sustainability 2025, Tanya Jain, Head of UK Enterprise Business Development at Amazon Freight, shared how the company is transforming freight with electric vehicles, multimodal transport and data-driven efficiency.

Addressing supply chain challenges

Tanya opened her keynote by highlighting the impact of supply chain disruptions, recalling how COVID-19 led to supermarket shortages and how Brexit caused major delays at UK borders. 

She linked these challenges to broader supply chain issues, including fuel price fluctuations, driver shortages, and changing regulations.

"33% of European truck drivers will retire by 2026 and only 7% of drivers are under 25," Tanya noted, highlighting recruitment difficulties. 

Amazon Freight is tackling this through its freight programme, making the profession more attractive and inclusive.

Another key challenge is cost fluctuation, with fuel prices swinging dramatically due to geopolitical events. Tanya pointed out that supply chain costs soared during the Ukraine-Russia war, affecting both businesses and consumers. Amazon Freight's response includes optimising operations and investing in fuel-efficient solutions.

Innovations in sustainability and multimodal transport

Sustainability is at the heart of Amazon Freight’s strategy. 

"15% of trucks in Europe run empty, wasting fuel and increasing carbon emissions," Tanya explained. 

Amazon Freight is addressing this through better demand matching and capacity utilisation. The company is also investing heavily in EVs and infrastructure. 

"This year, we placed the highest order for electric trucks—150 Daimler electric vehicles for the UK," she highlighted.

Amazon is expanding its charging infrastructure, with 14 UK fulfilment centres set to be equipped by July.

Beyond road transport, Amazon Freight is integrating rail and sea logistics to cut emissions. 

"Intermodal transport can reduce costs by 20% and carbon emissions by 50%," she noted. 

While beneficial, it requires synchronisation across warehousing and transport networks, a challenge Amazon is actively solving through technology and planning.

Customer-centric freight solutions

Amazon Freight’s focus remains on delivering efficiency and reliability. 

"Last year, our fastest Amazon Prime delivery was 29 minutes, five seconds," Tanya shared, underlining the company's commitment to speed.

Customer insights drive Amazon Freight’s innovations. A recent survey showed that 44% of shippers expect a truck within 24 hours and 61% demand real-time tracking. 

"People want transparency, immediate access, and seamless service," she said. 

Amazon Freight has simplified truck booking, ensuring a vehicle can be reserved in under 40 seconds. The company also provides 24/7 human customer support, proactively managing disruptions and assisting businesses in optimising freight costs and logistics.

Looking ahead: Freight’s future in a net-zero world

Amazon Freight is aligning with the company’s Climate Pledge, aiming for net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, with a 50% reduction target by 2030. 

"All our fulfilment centres are powered by renewable energy and we're piloting hydrogen trucks with Daimler," Tanya revealed.

Advanced machine learning is also playing a key role in forecasting demand, optimising routes and reducing inefficiencies. Additionally, Amazon Freight is enhancing sustainability tracking tools, enabling customers to monitor and report their carbon savings.

Tanya closed by sharing a success story relating to Noble Brands, which transitioned shipments to Amazon’s rail network, cutting carbon emissions by 50% and significantly reducing supply chain penalties. 

"Our goal is to keep evolving, ensuring businesses can ship faster, smarter and greener," she concluded.

Amazon Freight's continued innovation in sustainable logistics highlights how transportation is shifting towards a more efficient and environmentally responsible future.

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