Carbon Footprint of Amazon Prime Video
IdleForest models one hour of Amazon Prime Video use at about 55g of CO2.
Amazon Prime Video has a similar footprint profile to other video-on-demand services: content delivery, network transfer, and the viewing device dominate the user-facing estimate.
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How this Prime Video estimate is built
The estimate uses the same one-hour video-on-demand benchmark applied to streaming services, with device choice and resolution treated as the biggest variables.
- The 55gCO2e/hour estimate follows the Carbon Trust's European average for one hour of video streaming.
- The yearly estimate uses 55gCO2e/hour x 1.5 hours/day x 365 / 1000 = 30.1kgCO2e/year.
- Tree offset math rounds 30.1kgCO2e/year divided by 20kgCO2e per tree-year up to 2 trees.
Calculation proof
How the estimate is calculated
Annual footprint formula
55g CO2e/hour x 1.5h/day x 365 / 1000 = 30.1kg CO2e/year
Tree offset formula
ceil(30.1kg CO2e / 20 kg CO2e per tree-year) = 2 rounded up
Source basis: This estimate combines the app's modeled hourly footprint, usage assumption, methodology notes, and linked research sources. It is directional and should be read as a transparent consumer estimate, not a vendor emissions disclosure.
What drives this estimate most
- Device choice can be as important as the platform itself, especially when a TV or console is involved.
- Higher resolutions typically increase both data transfer and local playback energy.
- Long sessions compound quickly because streaming is continuous rather than bursty.
Assumptions and boundaries
- The estimate represents a typical hour of use and folds together platform, network, and device overhead.
- It is designed for comparison between services rather than for a lab-grade device test.
- Actual impact changes with video quality, autoplay behavior, and playback hardware.
Uncertainty note: Streaming estimates vary with bitrate, codec efficiency, playback device, and local electricity mix, so the right interpretation is comparative rather than absolute.
Yearly Impact Comparison
*IdleForest offsets ~200kg CO2/year on average per user.
Ways to reduce this footprint
- Stream at the lowest quality that still feels good for the context.
- Prefer smaller devices when you do not need a TV-sized screen.
- Cut autoplay loops on short-form platforms to reduce accidental watch time.
Estimate review
Who reviewed this estimate
Reviewed by: IdleForest Research Team
Role: Editorial Review
Organization: IdleForest
Last reviewed: May 10, 2026
These estimates are meant to help compare digital habits. They are directional, not exact reproductions of proprietary vendor accounting.
Sources
Carbon Trust: Carbon impact of video streaming (PDF)
Useful benchmark for streaming emissions and the role of the viewing device.
Nature Communications: The environmental sustainability of digital content consumption
Peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment covering web use, social media, video, music streaming, and video conferencing.
MIT CEEPR: How much can we reduce CO2 by planting trees?
Supports the offset conversion used by IdleForest: roughly 20kg CO2 absorbed per mature tree per year, with wide real-world variation.
More questions about Amazon Prime Video's carbon footprint
Is Prime Video similar to Netflix for carbon footprint?
Yes. For consumer estimates, the biggest drivers are viewing time, device, resolution, and electricity mix rather than the brand of video-on-demand platform.
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About IdleForest
IdleForest is a passive browser extension that plants trees while you browse, game, or stream. It uses your unused internet bandwidth to fund reforestation projects.
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