Earth Kaizens
Environmentally conscious Amazonians work together to implement environmental and energy initiatives across all parts of the company. Composed of hundreds of Amazonians, this group is known as "Earth Kaizens," from the Japanese term meaning "change for the better." Amazon employees at all levels dive deep into every nook and cranny of a process to identify waste and design alternative solutions that are more energy efficient.
The power of the Earth Kaizens comes from the cumulative impact of many people participating in a large number of focused projects, each delivering reductions in energy consumption and waste. The energy savings from a single Kaizen project may not seem significant, but shared across our global network, they can produce meaningful results.
Here are a few examples:
Lexington, Kentucky
Amazonians in our Lexington, Kentucky, fulfillment centre analyzed the type of work performed in the bulk-storage area of the facility and learned that although a large portion of this area was not used during the weekend, the power remained on. Additionally, the team took light-level readings and determined that the area had too many lights installed for the type of work that associates were doing. As a result, over 120 lights were permanently shut off, and an additional 34 lights are turned off during the weekend. Their efforts resulted in an annual reduction of over 450,000 kilowatt-hours of power usage for this one facility; that's enough electricity to power 33 homes in Kentucky for an entire year.
Coffeyville, Kansas
At the Coffeyville, Kansas, fulfillment centre, conveyor belts are used throughout the facility to route orders through the packing and shipping process. Previously, the conveyor belts operated continuously while the facility was open. An Earth Kaizen team determined that timers could be installed on the conveyor belts, so that they automatically shut down when they weren't in use. As a result, the facility now uses 30% fewer kilowatt-hours of power usage to operate the conveyor belts.
Hebron/Campbellsville, KentuckyAllentown, Pennsylvania
Previously, when Amazon transferred products from its larger automated fulfillment centres to its network of smaller distribution centres, it shipped the products in single stacks of pallets loaded into trucks. Because Amazon's smaller distribution centres didn't normally use forklifts, they couldn't unload double-stacked shipments. After analysis by the Kaizen team, Amazon bought forklifts for the distribution centres allowing them to accept double-stacked pallets. Now each truck can carry twice as much cargo, resulting in an overall savings of 1.1 million miles traveled and more than 175,000 gallons of fuel.
Swansea, Wales
Amazon opened a new fulfillment centre in Swansea, Wales in 2007. During the planning process, an Earth Kaizen team worked with the management team to determine the most efficient ways to light the facility. First, the team decided to increase the size of the skylights and windows throughout the building to improve natural lighting in the work areas. Second, the team had motion sensors installed throughout the facility so that lighting was used only when needed. As a result, the fulfillment centre now uses 40% fewer kilowatt-hours of power each month than originally planned.
Bad Hersfeld, Germany
The Earth Kaizen team in our Bad Hersfeld, Germany, fulfillment centre determined that the high-rack and pallet area of their facility was being lit long before the first associates arrived to work. Working with the local facilities technicians, the team developed a process to turn on the 2,400 fluorescent lights in the area only when associates were working. Their efforts resulted in an annual reduction of over 10,000 kilowatt-hours of power usage in the facility.
Orleans, France
Amazonians in our Orleans, France, fulfillment centre previously disposed of all kinds of waste--from corrugate cardboard to plastics--in a single compactor. An Earth Kaizen team re-engineered the process to sort different kinds of waste into separate compactors, so that corrugates and plastics could be recycled. As a result, the facility now recovers more than 60% of its disposal costs by selling the corrugate and plastic to recycling vendors in France.
Glenrothes, Scotland
An Earth Kaizen team in our Glenrothes, Scotland, fulfillment centre analyzed the heating and hot water supply systems in the facility and learned that the heating was activated at all times, even during the summer months when none was required. Additionally, they discovered that their systems were supplying hot water even when it wasn't needed. The team updated the systems so that gas and electricity were used only when needed. As a result, the facility reduced their daily gas and electricity consumption by more than 90% per day--an annual reduction of thousands of cubic meters of gas and kilowatt-hours of power usage.
Ichikawa, Japan
A complex system of conveyor belts is used in fulfillment centres to move products from their shelves into the boxes that are then shipped to Amazon customers. An Earth Kaizen team in our Ichikawa, Japan, fulfillment centre devised a simple but effective solution to reduce conveyor power usage by creating a visual guide that shows employees how to power down the conveyor belts when not in use, saving over 20,000 kilowatt-hours of power usage per year.
Guangzhou, China
Associates in the Guangzhou, China, fulfillment centre receive products for Joyo Amazon customers from many vendors. Once the products were moved into the warehouse, the packaging materials were previously discarded. An Earth Kaizen team re-engineered the process for sorting packaging waste, so that cardboard boxes and packaging could be recycled. As a result, the facility now recycles more than 40,000 boxes and more than 8,000 kilograms of packing material per year.
Eco-Friendly Building Design
In December 2007, Amazon announced plans to open its new corporate headquarters in Seattle, Washington, USA in mid-2010. The new urban campus will consist of ten sustainable, eco-friendly buildings that meet LEED certification requirements. LEED, which stands for "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," is a national industry measurement tool created by the U.S. Green Building Council to define the industry's most environmentally conscious projects. Amazon's fulfillment centre in Whitestown, Indiana, received LEED certification in 2009. The facility was constructed with recycled building materials and features resource-efficient plumbing fixtures and lighting controls.
Amazon is also in the process of switching to high-intensity T5/T8 lighting in each of its fulfillment centres around the world. These fluorescent fixtures produce 50% more lumens per watt than industry-standard clear metal halide fixtures. During 2007, the switch to T5 lighting in our Seattle fulfillment centre resulted in a decrease in energy consumption of more than 50%, from 13,800 kilowatt-hours per year to 6,600 kilowatt-hours per year.
