Employees
Every day Amazon employees are working to make the world a better place. Learn more about how Brandon Oyer, Kyrsten Elemino, and Nneka Leiba are tipping the scales of sustainability—and where you’ll find them when they’re not on the clock.
Inside Amazon's Sustainable Materials Innovation Lab, Materials Engineer Kyrsten Elemino holds what looks like an ordinary produce bag. But to her, it's more. This transparent film represents a potential breakthrough in sustainable packaging. And the lab is a testing ground for products that could help bring plastic packaging into the a circular economy.
"We're gathering data on new materials that are not only potentially biodegradable and compostable, but ultimately recyclable," Elemino says. "It's about creating an entire value chain where materials can be properly collected, sorted, and recycled rather than ending up in landfills."
Growing up in three distinct climates—the tropical Philippines, snowy Minnesota, and the temperate Pacific Northwest—Elemino developed a deep appreciation for Earth's varied environments, and she wants to ensure everyone has the chance to experience that biodiversity. Recent natural disasters have reinforced the urgency of her work tackling plastic waste. One record-breaking storm that battered the Philippines left her family there without power for weeks.
"That really drives home how important our sustainability efforts are," she says. "We're trying to make an impact at scale, beyond what any of us could do as individuals."
Her team tests new materials to see how they might perform outside of the lab, examining everything from strength to how well they can keep food fresh. Elemino is optimistic about the opportunity to create positive change: "As an engineer, I believe in continuous improvement—things may never be perfect, but we can definitely make them better than when we started."
See inside the lab with Elemino.
The smell of sawdust mingles with freshly brewed coffee in Brandon Oyer's West Seattle home. Tools line his workshop with military precision—a habit from when he worked on nuclear submarines in the U.S. Navy—while half-finished woodworking projects hint at how he considers the world with a builder's mind.
As Head of Americas Power and Water at Amazon, Oyer grapples with one of technology's biggest challenges: how to power the digital world sustainably. His background as an engineering manager for the Navy prepared him to oversee complex energy infrastructure at a massive scale.
"On a submarine, you're operating a nuclear reactor that provides power, makes drinking water, and creates oxygen—it's a complete life-support system," Oyer says. "That zero-defect mindset and understanding of integrated systems shapes how I approach powering Amazon's operations today."
Oyer now leads power and water procurement for Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) growing data-center network while meeting the company’s sustainability goals. He’s excited about Amazon's recent investments in nuclear energy as part of its path to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. "Nuclear is a clean, carbon-free source of power that can provide reliable baseload generation," he says. "Having lived and worked with this technology, I understand both its safety and its potential."
Oyer still likes to be underwater, scuba diving in the Puget Sound, or teaching his 12-year-old son about the outdoors. "I want to make the world a better place," he says, "and leave it better for him than we found it."
Watch Oyer and his son scuba diving.
Nneka Leiba's Baltimore home reflects her methodical approach to conscientious living. She's carefully chosen the products on her shelves—the result of nearly two decades of studying the environmental and health impacts of consumer goods.
Growing up in Jamaica, Leiba developed an intimate understanding of the delicate balance between environmental protection and economic development. As her family there experiences record-high temperatures and severe storms, she's driven to make more sustainable products accessible to all communities and lessen our impact on the planet. And as Amazon's Global Lead in Sustainable Selection Science, Leiba leverages her personal history to transform how millions of people shop.
"I see products deeply, from the sourcing of materials to manufacturing processes to end-of-life disposal," says Leiba, who oversees certification standards for Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program. "Every step has potential environmental and health impacts."
With degrees in environmental biology, zoology and aquatic sciences, and public health, plus 15 years of experience researching chemicals in consumer products, Leiba brings a sharp eye to the Climate Pledge Friendly program, evaluating sustainability certifications—such as “USDA Organic” or “Pre-Owned Certified - Fashion”—to highlight products that meet the program’s standards. Of 500 certifications, only 60 have merited the Climate Pledge Friendly badge.
The results show it’s making an impact. Products with that badge saw a 12% sales lift within the first year. "We're meeting customers where they want to be," Leiba says. "The more customers want more sustainable products, the more companies will feel compelled to make them."
Still, she hopes these badges will someday be irrelevant: "My dream is that one day we won't need Climate Pledge Friendly because every product will be made responsibly."
Meet Leiba’s pup Piney at her Maryland home.
