Amazon builds UK’s first green delivery station
Amazon is taking a major step forward in its UK sustainability push with construction now underway on what will become the company’s first building in the UK to pursue prestigious zero-carbon certification.
The new £40 million delivery station in Stockton-on-Tees, in the north-east of England, is designed to set a new benchmark for low-carbon logistics infrastructure.
Spanning 10,800 square metres, the facility will serve as a key sorting hub for packages destined for homes and businesses across North Yorkshire and parts of County Durham.
Once operational in autumn 2026, the site will be the first in Amazon’s global network outside the US to register for the Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon Certification (v1.1), a rigorous standard that evaluates both how a building is constructed and how it performs over time. It will also align with the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
“This site shows how we’re using smarter materials, advanced technology, and AI-driven insights to cut emissions from day one and improve performance over the long term,” said Prajvin Prakash, UK Director of Amazon Logistics.
Cutting emissions from the ground up
Amazon is incorporating a range of innovative, lower-carbon approaches during construction, including:
- Lower-carbon steel with high recycled content, manufactured using renewable electricity.
- Mass timber beams to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the structural frame.
- Cement-free paving made from steel slag that permanently stores captured carbon.
- Carbon-storing materials embedded directly into concrete elements.
Amazon said it expects construction emissions to be at least 20% lower than previous designs, thanks to local supply chains, material choices, and real-time monitoring tools.
These include AI-powered carbon tracking across building systems (from electrical to plumbing) and photo-based image recognition to track materials entering and leaving the site, minimising waste.
Designed for ultra-efficient operations
Once complete, the station will feature:
- More than 1,400 m² of rooftop solar panels to power daytime operations.
- An all-electric heating and cooling system (no gas).
- Projected energy use around half that of a typical logistics building.
- Approximately 20% less water consumption compared to conventional designs.
The facility is expected to create around 100 new jobs in the region, including roles for managers, supervisors, and delivery associates.
The project forms part of Amazon’s broader £40 billion investment commitment in the UK between 2025 and 2027, building on more than £80 billion already invested since 2010 to support jobs, infrastructure, and technologies across logistics, AI, and beyond.
Amazon said it plans to apply lessons learned from Stockton-on-Tees to future sites, aiming to raise industry standards for greener logistics buildings across the UK and Europe.
Formal certification could follow in 2027 after a full year of operational data and third-party assessment.
