Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly initiative goes live

Amazon has announced a new programme called Climate Pledge Friendly, part of its commitment to reach the Paris Agreement ten years early and be net zero carbon by 2040.

People will now see the label when searching for more than 25,000 products to signify that said products have one or more of 19 different sustainability certifications that help preserve the natural world, such as reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to customers.

This covers the likes of grocery, household, fashion, beauty, and personal electronics products, from brands including Seventh Generation, Burt’s Bees Baby, and HP. Amazon says that it has partnered with trusted third-party certifications, including the non-profit organisation Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

As part of the initiative, Amazon is also announcing Compact by Design, a new externally-validated certification that identifies products which, while they may not always look very different, have a more efficient design.

With the removal of excess air and water, products require less packaging and become more efficient to ship. At scale, these small differences in product size and weight lead to significant carbon emission reductions, the e-commerce giant claims.

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