Products travelling 8,000 kilometers and wrapped in single-use plastic were spotted by a Telegraph reporter who ordered 20 items from the “Amazon Aware” range.
1. “Amazon Aware”
The online retailer launched “Amazon Aware” in March 2022 to offer “conscious” and “more-sustainable” choices to customers. “We are committed to creating programs that contribute toward a more sustainable future,” said Amazon Private Brans’ Vice President Matt Taddy when launching the range. Less than one year after its launch, Amazon’s so-called sustainable practices were apparently unmasked. Out of the 20 items of the Amazon’s new range ordered by a Telegraph reporter, every product, except two, arrived wrapped in single-use plastic, despite several of the products being delivered in the same box. All but one of the items ordered by the Telegraph reporter were made in far away countries. Three pairs of socks costing £17.80 were made in Pakistan and arrived wrapped in clear plastic. Some items ordered, such as £43.99 bed linen, had been promoted as sustainable by paid influencers on social media. However, these were made in countries including Vietnam, Bangladesh and India.
@amazon are you aware of the current environmental crisis. I don’t feel there was any need for this bottle to arrive in such a large plastic bag. #savetheturtles pic.twitter.com/Bnp2xgRE7h
— shannon (@SHANWAN_) September 28, 2022
Talking about the new range, an Amazon spokesperson said: “We approached Amazon Aware with two goals in mind, to give millions of customers access to everyday essentials across apparel, home, beauty and more, which also have third-party certifications from our Climate Pledge Friendly program and to build knowledge, materials and other innovations that improve the products sold in our stores.”
2. “Greenwashing on a grotesque scale“
Discussing the matter, UK Green Party Baroness Jenny Jones accused the $980 billion firm of “greenwashing on a grotesque scale”, stressing how “Amazon Aware” claims to only sell carbon neutral items, featuring certifications that are part of the Climate Friendly Pledge program. These certifications include well-known schemes such as Fairtrade, the Rainforest Alliance and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
“Putting a green gloss on individually plastic wrapped items from half a world away is not going to cut it,” accused Jones.
Carbon offsetting, per se, is a controversial subject, as companies pay towards schemes aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Jones linked the concept to “medieval indulgences that rich people paid to the church to bribe their way into heaven”.
3. Amazon’s carbon footprint
Last year, the giant online retailer generated 271,700 tonnes of plastic waste with up to 10,659 tonnes ending up in the ocean, according to a 2021 Oceana report. This figure is the equivalent to dumping a delivery van payload of plastic into the oceans every 67 minutes. Meanwhile, the firm’s activities emitted the equivalent of 71.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021 — an increase of 40% compared to 2019, according to the company’s annual sustainability report.
ADD YOUR NAME: Amazon’s plastic denial is costing our planet’s oceans. Up to an estimated 26 MILLION pounds of @Amazon’s plastic waste from 2021 will end up in the world’s waterways & oceans. Tell @Amazon it must address its plastic problem: https://t.co/jKgFzJjJdv pic.twitter.com/Qi6L20tUob
— Oceana (@oceana) January 9, 2023
