Amazon is labeling approximately 25,000 products with a
Climate Pledge Friendly (CPF) designation to meet a commitment to become
carbon neutral by 2040. The selection includes grocery, household, fashion, beauty and personal electronics products, as well as from brands such as
Seventh Generation and
Burt’s Bees Baby. CPF products are clearly labeled in shopping results, have additional sustainability information on their product page and are featured in a dedicated section of the online store.
The Seattle company, which currently delivers 10 billion items a year, has an enormous carbon footprint due to its commitment to speedy deliveries, transportation-related emissions and data centers. A
paper in Environmental Science & Technology, published by the American Chemical Society, found that going to a physical store actually has a lower carbon footprint than shopping on Amazon because customers tend to buy fewer items at a time online. When they go to a store, they’re more likely to stock up and reduce the need for more trips.