UK organic businesses are being offered a potentially valuable new sales platform as part of Amazon’s sustainability programme.
The opportunity has arisen as Soil Association Certification becomes a part of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly initiative.
The sustainability initiative, launched in October 2020, aims to make it easier for shoppers looking for sustainable products to find them and to know that they have been independently audited and certified. Amazon already has the biggest range of organic products of any retailer in Europe.
Being part of the Amazon initiative in Europe enables Soil Association Certification licensees to trade on the online shopping site with the Climate Pledge Friendly badge and benefit from access to millions of shoppers who are searching for sustainable certified products. All listings will be validated and approved by Soil Association Certification.
Amazon’s range of organic products currently includes both household names and small start-up brands, and features lines across organic food and drink.
What is Climate Pledge Friendly?
Amazon launched Climate Pledge Friendly as part of its objective to help customers find products that preserve the natural world. Amazon partnered with trusted third-party certification organisations to highlight products that meet sustainability standards.
The programme started in the US and has now expanded to the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Soil Association Certification development director Clare McDermott said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly scheme to give our licensees access to millions of new customers seeking organic and planet-friendly products.
'Online is a key channel for organic and has grown significantly through the pandemic with one in four organic products now sold online in the UK - and this will continue to grow.
“We are continuing to see a huge boost in demand for organic and the growing recognition among consumers that organic represents the healthy choice for people, nature and the planet.'
Amazon’s director of sustainability in Europe, Zak Watts, added: “We’re delighted to be expanding our Climate Pledge Friendly programme to more than 100,000 products in Europe with new sustainability certifications such as Soil Association Certification.
'Climate Pledge Friendly has been designed as a simple way for our customers to shop more sustainably and forms an important part of our commitment to building a sustainable business for our employees, customers, and communities. We’re excited to have Soil Association Certification on board and provide yet more sustainable choices for our customers.”
