Coordination and Conflict: Environmental Sustainability Goals vs. Capitalist Development Goals in Amazon’s 2021-2022 Reports

Abstract

Against the backdrop of escalating global environmental challenges and the United Nations’ advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), capitalist development goals are often perceived as conflicting with environmental sustainability. This paper examines Amazon as a case study to explore the potential for reconciling environmental goals with capitalist development goals within corporate practices. Results indicate that while substantial capital expenditures and rising operational costs exert short-term pressure on profit margins, these impacts are partially offset long-term benefits. This demonstrates that environmental sustainability goals and capitalist growth objectives can coexist in harmony. The primary tension stems from the conflict between corporate upfront investments in environmental protection and shareholder return expectations. This study is limited to a single case and relies on publicly available company data.