Amazon unveils new Climate Pledge Friendly initiative to help shoppers buy more sustainably

Amazon has launched a new programme which seeks to help shoppers identify and buy more sustainable products. 

Launched in the UK, as well as France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the Climate Pledge Friendly initiative will see more than 40,000 products badged up to signify that they meet one or more of 19 different global sustainability certifications. 

The Climate Pledge Friendly selection includes beauty, fashion, grocery, household, office, and electronics products from brands including Faith in Nature, Esprit and Kite Clothing.

Climate Pledge Friendly products are clearly shown in shopping results, have additional sustainability information on the product page, and are featured in a dedicated section of the site.

The Climate Pledge Friendly selection also includes products made and sold by small businesses across Europe.

As part of the Climate Pledge Friendly initiative, Amazon is also introducing Compact by Design in Europe, a new externally-validated certification created by Amazon to identify products that 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.

Amazon UK country manager Doug Gurr said: “Climate Pledge Friendly is a simple way for our customers to discover more sustainable products that help preserve the natural world.”

“With 18 external certification programmes and our own new Compact by Design certification, we’re incentivising selling partners to create sustainable products that help protect the planet for future generations.”

The Climate Pledge Friendly initiative supports Amazon’s commitment to reach the Paris Agreement ten years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040.

The company has already committed to reaching 100% renewable energy by 2025 and ordered more than 1,800 branded electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz to make deliveries to customers in Europe.

Amazon also launched the Climate Pledge Fund, a $2 billion fund to back companies whose products and services will facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy.