Just Transition Report

Resolution Text

Resolved: Shareholders request the Board of Directors prepare a report disclosing how Amazon.com, Inc., (“Amazon” or the “Company”) is addressing the impact of its climate change strategy on relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to employees, workers in its supply chain, and communities in which it operates, consistent with the “Just Transition” guidelines of the International Labor Organization and indicators of the World Benchmarking Alliance. The report should be prepared at reasonable cost, omit proprietary information, and be available to investors.

Supporting Statement:

At the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, the United States and other governments agreed to the Just Transition Declaration, which aligns with the “Just Transition” guidelines in the International Labor Organization’s Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. The latter states that an environmentally sustainable future requires “anticipating impacts on employment, adequate and sustainable social protection for job losses and displacement, skills development and social dialogue.” (https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_emp/@emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_432859.pdf.) Those guidelines emphasize the “pivotal role” of employers “in bringing about social, economic and environmental sustainability with decent work and social inclusion.”

The World Benchmarking Alliance’s indicators include discrete, time-based indicators, including those tied to developing a just transition plan through consultation with affected stakeholders; mitigating the negative social impacts of the carbon transition on workers and communities; establishing a clear process for identifying job dislocation risks for workers and communities; and developing plans to retain and reskill workers for an inclusive workforce. (See https://assets.worldbenchmarkingalliance.org/app/uploads/2021/07/Just-Transition-Methodology.pdf)

Amazon has pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, a goal that suggests dramatic transformations in the way Amazon operates its vast transportation and logistical networks, bringing with it significant changes to the Company’s human capital needs. We believe it is crucial Amazon develop its decarbonization strategy with a systematic focus on ensuring a just and equitable energy transition. A 2022 study by the World Benchmarking Alliance found that the largest transportation companies – many of which approximate Amazon’s own transportation network – were ill-prepared to manage the social impacts of decarbonizing, placing millions of workers at risk. (See https://www.worldbenchmarkingalliance.org/publication/transport/.)  

A key area of uncertainty for investors is how some of Amazon’s technological solutions to the climate crisis, such as its investments in electric and autonomous vehicles, impact jobs and communities, including those along its supply chains and transportation networks. A just transition report would help investors better understand the interplay of these technologies, the Company’s climate commitments, and its human capital management practices as well as its broader stakeholder relationships. As one of the largest private employers in the world, with extensive logistical operations, Amazon has a key role in supporting social fairness as the world attempts to decarbonize.