Amazon’s launch of the Climate Pledge Friendly programme set out to offer our customers an easy way to discover and shop for more sustainable products that help preserve the natural world.
We partnered with trusted third-party certifications and created our own certification, Compact by Design, to highlight products that meet sustainability standards. Thousands of items qualify as Climate Pledge Friendly, including products from BABOR, Bulldog Skincare, Flor de Cana, Lindeman's Accolade Wines, Logitech, Zanier, Taylors of Harrogate and more. Today, there are more than 100,000 Climate Pledge Friendly products available across Europe.
Beyond well-known brands, certifications in the Climate Pledge Friendly programme are available to small businesses selling on Amazon who meet those standards. Making up 99% of all businesses in the UK, small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) have the potential to make a positive impact in the country’s target to have a net-zero economy by 2050.
Amazon helps these businesses sell online and reach hundreds of millions of customers around the world. With the Climate Pledge Friendly programme, we are also helping our selling partners validate their efforts in sustainability and reach sustainable shoppers online.
To find out more about the small businesses using Climate Pledge Friendly, we’re speaking to three entrepreneurs about their commitment to sustainability.
Mum & You
Rajiv and Anu Chandra, husband-and-wife entrepreneurs behind Mum & You, have made sustainability a priority in the design of their eco-friendly baby hygiene products since the very beginning.
“When we started the business four years ago, we made the conscious decision to make our baby wipes 100% biodegradable despite higher production costs. This is because we wanted to make more sustainable options accessible to mums who are concerned about the world in which their children will grow up in.
“We have sold over one million packs of our plant-based wet wipes and are seeing increasing engagement from the community. Where there is demand there is scalability, so hopefully the cost of eco-friendly materials will decrease. There’s no reason why, in our industry and beyond, everyone shouldn’t be switching to plant-based materials in products and packaging.
“This is why we see Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly programme as a great move. Not only does it help customers shop more sustainably, but it also increases the demand for sustainable products. This means that more small businesses can see the value in implementing sustainable practices.
“We’ve already received the Climate Pledge Friendly badge on the US marketplace and currently in the process of adding it to our store on Amazon UK.”
Nutcessity
Michael Duckworth, founder of Nutcessity, says running his own business has empowered him to actively give back to the planet.
“I’m allergic to peanuts, so when I started Nutcessity I wanted to introduce naturally indulgent, organic and peanut-free nut butters to the UK market, but I also wanted to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.
“Sustainability is a big focus for our brand and drives the direction of the business. All of our products have plastic-free packaging and are made only of plant-based, natural ingredients that are sourced with careful consideration. Through running my business, I'm able to donate a portion of annual profits to the water & sanitation charity Frank Water, as well as the Giant Sequoia tree-planting organisation One Life One Tree.
“For us, having the Climate Pledge Friendly badges on our products is essential, since we know it helps customers on Amazon make an informed decision on which products to buy when looking to reduce their environmental footprint. As a plastic-free and organic brand, the badge will help us become more discoverable.”
Kiss The Hippo
Maya Zara, Creative Director of Kiss The Hippo, is proud to be the first carbon negative coffee roaster in London.
“Since day one, we have always operated with the ethos of doing the best for our guests, our people and the planet. The climate is in crisis and for us, it was important as a business to create a net positive for the environment. This means carefully considering the environment every step of the way, from knowing the physical journey our coffee has taken; to using the world’s most environmentally friendly roasting machines that consume 80% less fuel; to offering compostable takeaway cups and lids.
“When Covid hit, we had to shift online and while it is important for us to satisfy our customers with great tasting coffee in their own homes, we didn’t want to add to the waste that the coffee pod industry is producing. With this in mind, we looked at creating a coffee pod that doesn’t cost the environment. Our pods are 100% compostable and filled with organic, delicious specialty coffee and the product was recognised as a finalist in the Amazon Innovation Awards in 2021. Following this, we pledged to plant a tree with every pod subscription in partnership with On A Mission to offset our carbon footprint.
“We then took our partnership to the next level. We painstakingly calculated our carbon emissions, planned out ways in which we could reduce them, then made a plan with On A Mission to offset our remaining emissions with verified or certified sustainable reforestation projects.
“Ultimately, we have done all the thinking for the environment on behalf of our customers. This is why we appreciate the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly badge on our products, because it helps take away the difficulty of finding small brands like ours and helps consumers feel at ease knowing that they are making a more sustainable choice when enjoying our coffee.”
Find out how to qualify for the Climate Pledge Friendly programme and shop the products.
