Amazon will increase its use of rail and sea transportation in Europe by 50% in 2023.

Europe’s unique geographic landscape and infrastructure mean that rail and sea routes are often a more efficient and faster means of transport for goods. That’s why we’ve expanded the use of short sea routes and railways to move parcels and stock across Europe in recent years. In 2023 alone, we increased our use of rail and sea transportation by 50% and now distribute products via more than 100 railway routes and more than 300 sea routes.

Independent sellers account for 60% of all paid units sold on Amazon. These are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which sell on Amazon to reach new customers, both within their home countries and internationally. To ensure customers across Europe benefit from a wide range of products as well as fast and reliable delivery, we analyze the most frequently requested items in each location so we can place these products close to where customers live. Seaways and railways are becoming increasingly necessary to transport these products between our buildings, including small and medium-sized businesses like them Mamedo, AmarcordsAnd Gamble and sing.

Shippers looking to move their shipments simply and reliably can take advantage of Amazon’s advanced technology, network of trailers, and trusted transportation partners through Amazon Shipping.

Mamedo

It has always been a dream of five friends from Düsseldorf – Sarah, Benjamin, Matthias, Moreno and Stefan – to create simple but beautifully designed water bottles and mugs to accompany people around the world throughout their day. When they created their own company, Mameido, they decided to focus on product and design, and tasked Amazon with taking care of how their bottles and cups reached customers. Mamedo’s story is shared by more than 47,500 SMEs across Germany who are growing their businesses by selling to customers across Europe, recording sales of €4.75 billion in 2022.

Amarcords

Founded in Milan in 2015, Amarcords specializes in the production of vintage design lamps. The company creates unique products that combine the history of electricity and modern technology with low energy consumption. In true Italian spirit, the founder of Amarcords, Marco Affarello, believes that light is a visual emotion that can be experienced in different spaces such as homes, lofts, clubs, restaurants, gardens and terraces. While Marco focuses on the colours, shapes and materials of his lamps, we ensure that they reach and delight customers all over Europe.

Gamble and sing

British hat designers Gamble & Gunn believe that the original energy and passion put into creating a classic hat never dies, only changes shapes and owners. Gamble & Gunn uses traditional heritage hat styles to create their quintessentially British hats – from classic flat caps to pork pie hats and fedoras. Amazon makes sure that these uniquely designed products reach customers across Europe, quickly and without any hassle. Like Gamble & Gunn, more than 40,000 other SMEs across the UK are growing their businesses by selling through Amazon to European customers. Recorded £1.8 billion export sales in the EU.

To support these companies, we invest in sea transportation to bring their products closer to customers.

Our rail and maritime networks are built on partnerships with European maritime and rail transport companies including Beamer goods, Sevenththe Mercitalia Collection, Grimaldi, Stena line, DFDS, and others. In order to be able to move flexibly between different modes of transport, we use trailers that can be easily moved between ships, freight trains and trucks.

A typical product journey begins at an Amazon fulfillment center, where the trailer is loaded and transported to a seaport or rail station. From there, the load is transported by ship or rail to another port or railway station where local drivers pick it up and transport it to the final destination. When we combine sea and rail transportation with road transportation, we plan the routes in such a way that trailers travel longer distances by rail or sea. This reduces driving times significantly and enables us to engage local ground transportation partners.

By transporting products by sea or rail, rather than by road by truck, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint. On average, using rail or sea to transport parcels or inventory helps us reduce our carbon emissions by approximately 50%.

In 2023, as in the previous year, we will transport thousands of trucks between our terminals by sea and rail in Europe, saving thousands of tons of CO2 emissions.