(StatePoint) Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a good time to consider making more sustainable tweaks to the way you shop.
With major companies leading the charge, it’s easier than you might think. For example, Amazon co-founded and became the first signatory to The Climate Pledge in 2019. Now, more than 300 companies have signed the Pledge and committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040, working together and taking bold steps to decarbonize their businesses and fight climate change.
As part of the Pledge, Amazon is working to reduce carbon emissions across its own operations, from adding 100,000 electric delivery vehicles to its global delivery fleet and investing in renewable energy, to inventing machine learning algorithms to arrive at the best possible packaging choices for deliveries.
Here are six tips to shop more sustainably for yourself:
1. Browse wisely: When browsing Amazon, you can now shop from a selection of more than 300,000 products from more than 20,000 fan-favorite brands such as Honest Company, Columbia and Burt’s Bees designated as “Climate Pledge Friendly.” This ensures these products have one or more of 39 certifications that help protect the natural world. A new private brand, Amazon Aware, now features thoughtfully-designed, affordable, everyday essentials across fashion, home and beauty made from materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton, and bio-based ingredients with certifications from the Climate Pledge Friendly program specific to product type.
2. Learn more about small brands: Brands, entrepreneurs and startups are overcoming the challenges associated with launching new products. Amazon Launchpad, which provides businesses with support, is sharing unique stories from brands with more sustainable products, including South Korean vegan skincare line, Melixir, as well as GOODSAM, SHANTI BAR, and White Leaf Provisions at Amazon.com/Launchpad-Earth-Day.
3. Reuse: Discover and buy refurbished products that have been professionally inspected and tested to work and look like new. At Amazon Renewed, you can find great prices on pre-owned smartphones, laptops, tablets, desktops, and cameras, across top brands. Products are backed by a 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee. You can also look for items offered by Amazon Warehouse to find quality pre-owned, used, and open-box items, all of which have passed a 20-point quality inspection and are backed by a 30-day return policy.
4. Donate: Shop at smile.amazon.com and AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchases to the charity of your choice at no extra cost to you. Participating organizations include a wide range of environmental charities. Additionally, in celebration of Earth Month, U.S. customers can now say “Alexa, grow a tree” to donate $1 to plant one tree through One Tree Planted, an environmental charity that supports reforestation around the world.
5. Don’t trash it, trade it in: Did you know you can trade in certain devices, cell phones and video games for an Amazon gift card? Through Amazon’s Trade-In program, the devices are either restored and re-sold, or recycled, ensuring a more sustainable way to dispose of devices.
6. Recycle: Learn how to recycle packaging in your community by visiting the Amazon Second Chance page at amazon.com/amsc. Additionally, when your orders arrive, find details of how to recycle and dispose of packaging by clicking on the “Returns & Orders” section of your account. The website also features information on how to trade in and recycle products, and how to find open-box and refurbished devices.
