AWS Sustainability: Hitting 100% Renewable Energy in 2025
AWS achieved its goal of powering operations with 100% renewable energy in 2025. But for enterprises, sustainability is now a board-level priority. Here’s how AWS helps you measure and reduce your cloud carbon footprint.
AWS Sustainability Milestones
| Year | Achievement |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 90% renewable energy |
| 2024 | Water-positive commitment |
| 2025 | 100% renewable energy achieved |
| 2040 | Net-zero carbon (goal) |
Customer Carbon Footprint Tool
AWS provides free carbon footprint reporting in the Billing Console:
# Access carbon footprint data via API
import boto3
sustainability = boto3.client('sustainability')
# Get carbon footprint summary
response = sustainability.get_carbon_footprint_summary(
StartDate='2025-01-01',
EndDate='2025-12-31'
)
print(f"Total emissions: {response['totalEmissions']} MTCO2e")
print(f"Avoided by AWS efficiency: {response['avoidedEmissions']}")
Reducing Your Cloud Carbon Footprint
1. Use Graviton Instances
ARM-based instances use up to 60% less energy for the same workload.
2. Choose Efficient Regions
| Region | Carbon Intensity |
|---|---|
| eu-north-1 (Stockholm) | Very Low (hydro/wind) |
| us-west-2 (Oregon) | Low (hydro) |
| eu-west-1 (Ireland) | Low (wind) |
3. Optimize Idle Resources
- Stop dev/test instances outside business hours
- Use Spot Instances (repurpose unused capacity)
- Right-size over-provisioned instances
- Delete unused EBS volumes and snapshots
ESG Reporting
The Customer Carbon Footprint Tool data can be exported for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reports—increasingly required by investors and regulators in 2025.
