Zaid Thanawala
Honored as “Top Sustainability Strategist of the Year 2025“

As the Senior Sustainability Scientist at Amazon, Zaid Thanawala has been recognized as the “Top Sustainability Strategist of the Year 2025” by CToday Awards. This esteemed accolade celebrates Zaid’s decade-long contributions to advancing environmental sustainability, fostering innovation, and driving meaningful change across diverse industries.
A Journey Shaped by Experience and Passion
Zaid’s journey into sustainability was ignited in 2009 during an internship with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India. Witnessing the environmental impact of gas flaring at a natural gas refining plant left a lasting impression, instilling in him a deep responsibility to protect the planet for future generations. This pivotal moment inspired him to pursue advanced education in sustainability, earning two M.S. degrees in Sustainable Systems from the Rochester Institute of Technology and Sustainable Energy Technologies from Delft University of Technology.
Throughout his career, Zaid has contributed to sustainability initiatives at leading companies such as O-I, Salesforce, and Amazon, gaining expertise in life cycle assessments, greenhouse gas accounting, net-zero strategies, and improving environmental sustainability across various sectors. This diverse experience ultimately led him to Amazon, where he has played a key role in advancing the company’s ambitious Climate Pledge to achieve Net-Zero by 2040.
Driving Sustainability Innovation at Amazon
Since joining Amazon in 2021, Zaid has made significant contributions to the company’s sustainability efforts. In the Devices organization, he built an energy forecasting model for the renewable energy matching program, enabling millions of dollars in renewable energy procurement. He also developed a single-source data lake, streamlining reporting and forecasting processes. Zaid’s leadership extended to carbon footprint reporting and forecasting for Amazon’s Devices and Services, automating workflows and enhancing efficiency. He also built a parameterized battery model to calculate the environmental impacts of battery manufacturing and recycling, empowering engineering teams to adopt sustainable practices.
In 2024, Zaid transitioned to Amazon’s central Sustainability team, focusing on leveraging AI and large language models (LLMs) to automate life cycle assessments. This innovative work aims to reduce the cost of carbon measurement and reporting and hope to shift the focus to actionable carbon reduction strategies across the business.
Recognition for Leadership in Sustainability
Being named the “Top Sustainability Strategist of the Year 2025” is a testament to Zaid’s visionary approach to integrating sustainability into business practices. Reflecting on the recognition, Zaid emphasizes the role of sustainability in aligning environmental and social priorities while fostering cross-industry collaboration. “This award motivates me to continue driving innovation and championing solutions that create lasting, scalable change for a sustainable future,” he shares.
Zaid believes that advancements in renewable energy, circular economy models, and carbon capture technologies are reshaping the future of sustainability. The integration of AI and big data is enabling precise environmental monitoring and predictive analytics, democratizing access to sustainable solutions, and fostering inclusivity. These trends, he notes, will make sustainability an integral part of daily life and economic systems.
Advice to Aspiring Sustainability Professionals
Zaid advises young professionals to build a solid foundation in sustainability science, policies, and practices. “Seek interdisciplinary experiences, focus on actionable solutions, and collaborate widely,” he suggests. He emphasizes the importance of embracing emerging technologies, cultivating resilience, and leading by example in both personal and professional spheres. “Sustainability is a long-term commitment,” he says, “but consistent efforts will pave the way for a brighter, more sustainable future.”