Amazon aims to cut its carbon footprint

This May 3, 2018, photo shows boxes on a conveyor belt during a tour of the Amazon fulfillment center in Aurora, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

NEW YORK -- Amazon, which ships millions of packages a year to shopper's doorsteps, says it wants to be greener.

The online retail giant announced plans Monday to make half of all its shipments carbon neutral by 2030.

To reach that goal, the online retail giant says it will use more renewable energy like solar power; have more packages delivered in electric vans; and push suppliers to remake their packaging.

McDonald's, Coca-Cola and other big companies that generate lots of waste have announced similar initiatives, hoping to appeal to customers concerned about the environment.

Amazon is calling its program "Shipment Zero," and plans to publicly publish its carbon footprint for the first time later this year.

Seattle-based Amazon said it spent the past two years mapping its carbon footprint and figuring out ways to reduce carbon use across the company.

"It won't be easy to achieve this goal, but it's worth being focused and stubborn on this vision and we're committed to seeing it through," said Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice-president of worldwide operations.