Social Value is no longer a nice-to-have—it's a business imperative that demands both ambition and accountability. At Amazon UK, we've learned that creating meaningful social impact at scale requires more than good intentions; it demands innovation, genuine partnership, and a willingness to leverage our unique capabilities in service of communities across the country.
At Amazon we've recognised that our greatest potential for impact lies in reimagining how our core business operations can drive positive change. Our logistics network has become a vehicle for economic empowerment. Our cloud computing infrastructure supports charities in digitising their services. Our marketplace provides a platform for small businesses to reach customers they could never access alone.
This isn't about adding impact as an afterthought—it's about fundamentally rethinking how we operate to create value for society alongside commercial success.
Our UK apprenticeship programme is now one of the largest and broadest schemes in the country with around 2,000 current apprentices. We announced over 1,000 new apprenticeships for 2025 across more than 40 different programmes—from data science and cyber security to marketing, engineering, and warehouse operations.
The Edwards family from Doncaster exemplifies our impact perfectly: all four family members now work in engineering roles across our fulfilment centres. Chris joined Amazon in 2021, inspiring son James to start a mechatronics apprenticeship. Seeing their enthusiasm, Chris's wife Sam—a stay-at-home mum for many years—courageously embarked on a new career as a mechatronics apprentice in 2023. Their daughter Georgie continued the tradition in 2024.
Our commitment extends beyond traditional apprenticeships. Through our supported internships programme launched in 2021, we're addressing a critical gap: less than 5% of adults with learning disabilities are in paid employment, despite 86% wanting to work. Since launch, more than 160 young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities have started supported internships with Amazon, making us one of the UK's largest providers.
Our Multibank initiative, co-founded with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2022, demonstrates how we respond to genuine community needs. Starting with one centre in Fife, Scotland, we've now established six Multibanks across the UK, creating a network that has donated more than 11 million surplus essentials to help over 1 million families experiencing poverty.
We've deployed our supply chain expertise to create a pioneering "click and collect" system that shares weekly inventory with thousands of community groups, social workers, and care professionals so they can order exactly what they know is needed. Through our pro-bono logistics programme, we transport donations to community organisations every week.
The initiative won the Community Impact Award at the 2024 Business Charity Awards and has grown to include more than 30 partner companies—demonstrating how collaboration amplifies impact.
Our partnership with Comic Relief exemplifies ecosystem thinking. As the official home of the iconic Red Nose, we've helped raise £5 million over the last two years while creating innovative engagement campaigns. Comic Relief joined our "coalition of compassion" to create a dedicated Multibank Fund, helping finance nationwide expansion of our poverty-fighting initiative.
We don't just count participants; we track employment outcomes. Callum Gibbard, who joined our Bristol fulfilment centre through our supported internship programme, went from being unhappy in full-time study to building confidence and skills that led to permanent employment:
I've always wanted to get a job, and I'm so proud that doing the supported internship helped me get one at Amazon.
Callum Gibbard, Participant in supported apprenticeship programme
The organisations leading in Social Value today recognise it as a strategic capability rather than a compliance requirement. They're investing in systems, partnerships, and measurement frameworks that enable sustained positive change while strengthening their business.
At Amazon UK, we're proving that when social impact becomes as fundamental to business success as financial performance, everyone wins. From apprenticeships creating pathways for families like the Edwards, to supported internships giving young people with disabilities their first taste of employment, to Multibanks ensuring surplus goods reach families in need—we're committed to using our scale and innovation to accelerate this transformation.