Amazon breaks ground on first-ever net-zero delivery station in Europe
Amazon has started construction on its first delivery station to seek new zero carbon certification in the U.K. and Europe.
The $54 million delivery station in Stockton-on-Tees in northeast England will use advanced building techniques and new technologies to help reduce its environmental impact, while also creating what Amazon expects will be around 100 new jobs.
The roughly 116,000-sq.-ft. facility, where packages will be sorted for delivery to customers throughout North Yorkshire and parts of County Durham, will be the first building in Amazon’s global supply chain network to register for environmental non-profit Living Future’s Zero Carbon Certification (v1.1), meaning it is constructed to rigorous sustainability standards.
The building will also be constructed to the new U.K. Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and incorporate sustainability features including locally sourced and lower-carbon building materials, as well as energy efficient systems. Amazon will track performance data and share learnings to help refine the methodology for future industry adoption.
The building will become eligible for certification in 2027 following a full year of operational data collection and third-party assessment. Set to open in fall 2026, the new delivery station will use steel with high recycled content produced using renewable electricity.
The facility will also feature mass timber beams and lower-carbon concrete, wall panels, and roofing materials, similar to an Amazon delivery station known as "DII5" in Elkhart, Ind., which is also referred to as the "wooden wonder."
[READ MORE: Amazon operates sustainable ‘wooden wonder’ delivery station]
Amazon is also testing new technologies to assess their potential for wider adoption on future projects, including cement-free paving that replaces traditional cement with steel slag and stores captured carbon within the precast blocks; as well as captured carbon dioxide embedded in concrete using technology supported by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund.
In addition, using AI-based analytics software, engineers track carbon emissions across all building systems, from wiring to plumbing fixtures, helping Amazon to identify and implement targeted efficiency improvements. And photo-based material tracking uses image recognition software to document what enters and leaves the construction site by scanning delivery notes and waste tickets.
More than 15,000-sq.-ft. of rooftop solar panels will run daytime operations, and the building will use an all-electric heating and cooling system, with Amazon estimating water-saving plumbing fixtures will reduce water consumption by approximately 20% compared to conventional designs.
By combining local supply chains with lower carbon materials and practices, Amazon expects total carbon emissions associated with the construction to be at least 20% lower than Amazon’s previous design standards and exceed industry standards.
The Stockton-on-Tees delivery station is part of Amazon's commitment to invest approximately $54 billion in the U.K. by the end of2027 to build four new fulfillment centers and new delivery stations across the country. The money will also be spent on upgrades and expansions to Amazon's existing network of more than 100 operations buildings in the U.K., including two new buildings at its corporate headquarters in East London.
Since 2010, Amazon has made direct investments in its UK operations of more than £80 billion, creating tens of thousands of UK jobs in logistics, technology, and corporate roles.
"The Stockton-on-Tees facility demonstrates how Amazon's investment strategy combines job creation with sustainable infrastructure development, bringing economic opportunity and environmental innovation to communities across the U.K.," Amazon said in a corporate blog post.
