Amazon Sustainable Logistics Challenge
Apply for an opportunity to pilot your technology with Amazon as it works to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 and enhance waste management, circularity, and water stewardship. This challenge seeks to accelerate this transition through both transportation and building design solutions. A typical pilot for emerging technologies can range from $75K–$2M.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
What is Amazon looking for?
Zero-Carbon Transportation and Sustainable Building Design Solutions
This year’s Sustainable Logistics Challenge is looking for solutions that can increase the sustainability of Amazon’s transportation and buildings networks, from reducing carbon emissions to enhancing waste management, circularity, and water stewardship. Amazon’s transportation network ranges from last-mile delivery to middle-mile and long-distance transportation via roads, rail, air, and water, and Amazon’s buildings network spans fulfillment centers, sort centers, and delivery stations.
Challenge Scope
Transportation Solutions
Amazon seeks solutions for surface transportation, energy resiliency and management, and lower-carbon fuels and feedstocks. Amazon also is interested in tools that provide insights on fuel tracking, as well as tools that visualize locations with excess energy supply. See the FAQ for detailed descriptions of these solutions.
Building Design Solutions
Amazon is interested in building design solutions for waste management and circularity, from waste rightsizing to identifying replacements for hard-to-recycle materials, as well as water stewardship in its facilities. Amazon also is interested in incorporating sustainable design strategies in its facilities through methods like embodied carbon reduction and interior/exterior materials solutions. See the FAQ for detailed descriptions of these solutions.
What You Could Win
___ Pilot Your Technology with Amazon
A typical pilot for emerging technologies can range from $75K–$2M, depending on duration and scope (e.g., feasibility studies, prototype testing, etc.) necessary to determine key performance indicators. This range is provided for illustration only and actual offer(s) of funding, if any, is in Amazon's sole discretion.
___ Introductions to the Climate Pledge Fund
Amazon partners with The Climate Pledge Fund to identify sustainable technologies. The Climate Pledge Fund is a corporate venture program that invests in companies accelerating Amazon’s path to meeting the commitments of The Climate Pledge.
___ Collaboration opportunities with the broader Elemental ecosystem
By applying to this challenge, your company will have access to engagement opportunities with Elemental’s global network of investors and Navigator Members.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the following requirements and additional criteria as noted in the Official Rules:
- Have at least two full-time employees
- Be based or incorporated in the US, the UK, the EU, India, or Japan
- Fully comply with all local laws and regulations in the jurisdiction(s) where you operate
- Have technology that is relevant to the subject areas identified
- Have technology that is scalable. Amazon will only fund technologies that have the potential to significantly decrease carbon emissions and/or reduce impacts beyond carbon and reduce operating expenses.
- Have technology that has the potential to make a global impact. Amazon strongly prefers projects that apply to all markets, geographies, supply types, etc.
- Agree and comply with official rules and other policies associated with this challenge.
Amazon is not seeking project developers selling third-party products, companies without an operating prototype, consulting firms, marketing or PR agencies, or acquired startups.
FAQ
What types of transportation solutions is Amazon looking for?
Amazon is looking for surface transportation, energy, and alternative/low-carbon fuel and feedstocks solutions. Examples of surface transportation solutions include rapid-deployment EV charging; vehicle-to-building or vehicle-to-grid solutions; trailer efficiency improvements; and data collection tools for third-party transportation providers. Examples of energy solutions include non-grid energy solutions like microgrids and onsite generation of energy; energy management solutions like smart-charging technologies; and shared zero-emission vehicle infrastructure. Examples of alternative carbon/low-carbon fuels include next generation, scalable and energy efficient fuels; solutions to help use on-road fuels via market-based solutions; and fuel-tracking platforms.
What types of building design solutions is Amazon looking for?
Amazon is seeking waste, circularity, and building design solutions to support the different facility types across its operations. Examples of waste and circularity solutions include adjusting collection services to match the amount and type of waste produced; replacements for hard-to-recycle materials used in facilities; automatic waste data collection; onsite recycling solutions; onsite water catchment and purification; water reduction fixtures; and smart water meters. Examples of building design solutions include embodied carbon strategies and operational carbon strategies related to material-handling equipment (MHE), HVAC, and monitoring and controls (M&Cs) for indoor air quality and energy efficiency. Amazon also is interested in materials for interiors and exterior/site work solutions.
Meet the Judges
Erika Smith
Erika leads Amazon's Commercial Technology and Adoption (CTA) team for the Climate Pledge Fund (CPF), with a focus to dive deep in support of healthier communities and sustainability that require innovation, strategic investment, and partnerships. Her team's charter is to ensure the continued success of CPF's portfolio companies, amplify communications and awareness of the technologies, and progress the implementation of their solutions internally across Amazon Businesses and externally with signatories of Amazon's Climate Pledge. Erika also serves as an Amazon Executive Mentor for the Female Founder Initiative, a $50M investment earmarked for female founders as part of CPF. Prior to leading CTA, Erika had joined Amazon's Corporate Business Development team in 2019 to lead Prime and Physical Retail Technology new initiatives, market development, and partnership deals across Amazon and with top global companies.
Abhinav Singh
Over the last nearly eleven years, Abhinav has led operations, product, program, analytics, and sales teams in various roles at Amazon. As one of the earliest hires in India Operations, he was instrumental in building the first generation of logistics solutions for India including AMZL, I.H.S., and Easyship. A steward of inclusive leadership, he has led representation improvements across women, PWD, LGBTQI+, and veterans cohorts. Prior to Amazon, Abhinav spent 11 years in the oil and gas industry as an Officer onboard ships and also in maritime risk assurance. Abhinav is a passionate golfer, loves cars, and is living his dream at Amazon.
Chris Atkins
Chris leads a global team tackling some of the biggest challenges in decarbonizing the global logistics supply chain, including heavy commercial transportation and the built environment. Prior to his current role, Chris was a founding member of the Amazon Transportation Services sustainability team, driving sustainability in the commercial trucking, aviation, and intermodal rail sectors. Prior to his roles in sustainability, Chris spent several years leading teams in customer fulfillment and global specialty fulfillment. Chris is a former US Army officer and veteran, who served an 18-month combat deployment to Iraq in 2008-2009. Chris holds a BS from West Point, an MBA from Vanderbilt, and an ALM from Harvard in sustainability studies. Chris spends much of his time outside of work exploring New England with his wife, Rachel, four-year-old son, Connor, and dog, Chloe.
Raoul Sreenivasan
Raoul Sreenivasan is the World Wide leader of Amazon Global Air and is responsible for Amazon’s air haul network of more than 110 aircraft, over 70 on airport facilities, and more than 14,000 employees worldwide. Raoul joined Amazon in 2016 to launch and lead Amazon Flex across Europe and Asia, a crowd-sourced solution for final-mile delivery. He subsequently joined the rapidly expanding Amazon Air in 2019 to lead Planning, Performance, and Cargo, prior to assuming full responsibility for Amazon’s Global Air operation in 2023. Before joining Amazon, Raoul spent eight years with DHL Express as part of the leadership team responsible for the turnaround of US operations and two years with TNT Express leading their global marketing division and acquisition efforts of TNT by FedEx. Raoul is a proud husband and father of two and is a three-time Ironman Triathlon finisher.
Daniel Gross
Daniel Gross is a venture capital, private equity, and infrastructure investor focused on clean energy, climate tech, and other sustainable technologies. He currently serves as Director in Amazon Corporate Development, covering the Climate Pledge Fund, a US$2 billion corporate venture capital fund established by Amazon. Daniel also serves as a Lecturer at Yale University, where he teaches courses on the finance of renewable energy at the School of the Environment, the Law School, and the School of Management. He was previously Chief Investment Officer of Climate Real Impact Solutions, an investment vehicle listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and was one of the founding Partners of Hudson Clean Energy, a private equity firm with over US$1 billion in assets under management. Previously, he was a Vice President in the U.S. alternative energy investment group at Goldman Sachs and headed the renewable energy investment group in GE Capital's Energy Financial Services unit.
Hiroaki Watanabe
Hiroaki Watanabe joined Amazon Japan in 2009 as Site Lead of Sakai Fulfillment Center (FC) and launched the first automated item sortation process in World Wide Operations. He has since standardized the highly automated FC operation method and added three more automated FCs, while also expanding the number of FCs to 10 sites in 5 years as Director of Japan FC Operations. In August 2014, Hiroaki became a leader of Japan Customer Fulfillment Solutions to design future FCs by incorporating the latest technologies. Since October 2021, Hiroaki has led sustainability initiatives for the entire Amazon Japan Operations and is focused on reducing its growing operations network’s carbon intensity via renewable energy, sustainable building design, energy efficiency, circular economy, customer packaging optimization, and sustainable transportation.
Timeline
August 15, 2023
August 15, 2023
Application window opens
August 31, 2023, 10 a.m. PT
August 31, 2023, 8:30 p.m. PT
September 18, 2023, 11:59 pm ET
September 18, 2023, 11:59 pm ET
Application deadline
October 27, 2023
October 27, 2023
Finalists notified
November 9, 2023
November 9, 2023
Virtual pitch event / Winners announced
January – June 2024
January – June 2024
Collaborate directly with Amazon to co-create pilot scope of work
July 2024
July 2024
Commence pilot(s)
The Fine Print
- Any funds that go toward a pilot will be non-dilutive (i.e., neither Amazon nor Elemental is asking for equity in exchange for the pilot funding).
- This challenge is being hosted by Elemental Excelerator in collaboration with Amazon and is unrelated to Elemental’s Cohort 13 application process.
- More details can be found in the Official Rules.
Questions
Please contact AmazonChallenge23@elementalexcelerator.com.
If you missed our live Q&A sessions, you can find the links here and here.
About Amazon Operations
At Amazon, customers place orders from around the world. Amazon Operations identifies the fastest and most convenient way to move packages to their final destinations. With people, innovation, sustainability, and safety at heart, they bring together transportation, buildings, and packaging — all powered in real time by the latest technology — to deliver smiles to customers. As part of Amazon’s mission to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, it is committed to building a sustainable business for its employees, customers, and communities. Amazon is driving toward a net-zero carbon future where the people that support its entire value chain are treated with dignity and respect. See more about Amazon’s sustainability efforts at sustainability.aboutamazon.com.
There's More!
We are currently accepting applications for this challenge and one more! Click the link below to learn more about our other challenge with Technip Energies.