Work

Can “Sustaining Innovation” Deliver Sustainability? Amazon’s Innovation Processes on Corporate Decarbonization

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Responding to climate change requires rapid changes in corporate practices. This article assesses how Amazon, known for its speed and innovation, has leveraged internal processes to transition toward “Net Zero Carbon” by 2040. It argues that industrial decarbonization has primarily involved “sustaining innovations” and then examines how Amazon’s internal mechanisms have been applied to sustainability—including efficiency improvements, lower-carbon substitutions, longer-term innovation investments, and engagements with their supply chains. Amazon’s experiences are relevant to corporations working to advance decarbonization. It concludes by offering lessons for managers about how to leverage innovation processes to advance climate goals.

Source: California Management Review

DOI: 10.1177/00081256241300334

Author: Dara O’Rourke

Institution: University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Sustainability in Business

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Responsible consumption and production, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900