Amazon Is Making Sustainable Shopping Easier for Customers — Here’s How

Amazon wants to make sustainable shopping easier for its customers.

The e-commerce giant announced today that it has labeled more than 25,000 products on its website as “Climate Pledge Friendly,” which indicates that each item aligns with its previously announced Climate Pledge.

According to the company, these products — which span from groceries and household supplies to fashion, beauty and personal electronics — are identified in shopping results, plus have additional sustainability information on the item’s page and are featured in a dedicated section online.

“Climate Pledge Friendly is a simple way for customers to discover more sustainable products that help preserve the natural world,” founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement. “With 18 external certification programs and our own ‘Compact by Design’ certification, we’re incentivizing selling partners to create sustainable products that help protect the planet for future generations.”

The move marks Amazon’s latest sustainability-centered initiative as part of The Climate Pledge, which was launched last year in response to mounting criticism from its employees over the company’s purported failure to adequately address its impact on the environment. Last spring, more than 3,500 employees penned an open letter to Bezos, demanding a companywide plan to combat climate change. The workers sought an end to the use of fossil fuels, as well as urged the Seattle-based retailer to cut emissions in half by 2030 and reduce them to zero by 2050.

In response, Amazon committed to reach the Paris Agreement a decade ahead of schedule and achieve net zero carbon use by 2040. In its 2019 sustainability report, the online behemoth noted that it was on the path to run on 100% renewable energy by 2025 and working on 91 renewable energy projects around the world. It has also ordered more than 100,000 fully electric delivery vehicles to reduce its impact on the environment and plans to invest $100 million in reforestation projects around the world.

What’s more, Amazon launched in mid-June its Climate Pledge Fund with an initial $2 billion venture-capital investment toward businesses that are working on “sustainable technologies and services.” The companies could span across industries including transportation and logistics; energy generation, storage and utilization; manufacturing and materials; the circular economy; as well as food and agriculture.

More from Footwear News

Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.