Protecting natural resources

No deforestation commitment

• Beef

  • By 2025, source private brands beef from regions of low deforestation risk or with full supply chain traceability, demonstrating the products did not contribute to deforestation.

• Cocoa

  • By 2025, source private brands chocolate bars, chocolate chips, and baking chocolate/powder products that are certified by Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA, or other independently verified third-party certifications, such as Cocoa Horizons.

• Coffee

  • By 2025, source private brands packaged bean, ground, instant, and liquid coffee products that are Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International, or Fair Trade USA certified.

• Palm oil

  • Amazon uses palm oil certified against sustainability standards in our Private Brands food and nonfood grocery products in North America and Europe. In a small number of cases, palm oil credits may be used to cover small volumes and complex derivatives. We revisit these cases annually with applicable suppliers and agree on plans to transition to physically certified palm oil where possible. All 365 by Whole Foods Market brand products containing palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm fruit oil, and palm shortening are produced using sustainable oil products.

• Paper products and paper packaging

  • Source private brands paper products that are either recycled or certified to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards. This applies to Amazon private brands paper towel, toilet paper, facial tissue, baking paper, coffee filter, paper dishware, and napkin products. We strive to use sustainably sourced fiber in our grocery and consumable private brands paper-based primary packaging.

• Soy

  • Within North America, we determined through a risk assessment review that the majority of the soy in our Private Brands animal protein and meat counter supply chains is domestically sourced, and thus is unlikely to pose a deforestation risk. Within Europe, Amazon’s goal is that the soy in our Grocery and Consumable Private Brands supply chains will be deforestation free by the end of 2025, with a cut-off date of 2020 (meaning that the soy has not been sourced from land that has been subject to deforestation since the end of 2020).

• Tea

  • By 2025, source private brands bagged tea products based on the tea leaf (camellia sinensis) certified by Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International, or Fair Trade USA.

Animal Welfare

• Animal welfare

  • At Amazon we're guided by our principle of customer obsession. We also recognize that with great success and scale comes an even greater responsibility—a responsibility to uphold the highest ethical standards and to be stewards of positive change. As a retailer of animal products, we strive to provide a diverse array of high-quality, reasonably priced protein options while prioritizing animal care. We continue to work to improve farm animal welfare across our supply chains and believe that animals should experience good welfare throughout their lives.

     

    We expect our suppliers to comply with all applicable laws and to take a zero-tolerance approach to animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect. We encourage suppliers to continually improve their animal welfare standards and practices, and to work toward recognized animal welfare certifications or industry guidelines that include welfare provisions.

     

    For information about animal welfare at Amazon Fresh, see our Animal Welfare position and sourcing standards.
    
    
    

    For information about animal welfare at Whole Foods Market, see our Meat Department Quality Standards.

Sustainable seafood

• Seafood

  • Source Amazon private brands seafood products that have a third-party sustainability certification or are actively working toward certification or engaged in a fishery improvement project (FIP). This applies to fresh or frozen single-ingredient products as well as to any product in which seafood makes up more than 5% or is in the top three ingredients. All fresh and frozen seafood in the Whole Foods Market Seafood department must be Responsibly Farmed or sustainable wild-caught (including frozen and breaded options, appetizers, smoked seafood and seafood dips). This applies wherever the seafood is sourced. Canned tuna must be sustainable wild-caught and traceable to the boats.

Sustainable materials

• Cotton

  • Source all cotton for Amazon private brands apparel products from more sustainable sources, which we define as being sourced from recycled materials, from farms certified as producing organic cotton, or through the Better Cotton Initiative.

• Leather

  • Source leather apparel and shoe products from more sustainable sources, which we define as being sourced from tanneries that meet the Leather Working Group’s Bronze-level or higher. Amazon did not source any private brands apparel or shoes made from leather in 2023.

• Manufactured cellulosic fibers

  • Source manufactured cellulosic fibers used in Amazon private brands apparel products—including rayon, viscose, lyocell, and modal—from more sustainable sources. We use the nonprofit Canopy’s tools and reports to help avoid fibers sourced from endangered forests, endangered species’ habitats, or other controversial sources.

• Recycled fabrics

  • Increase the use of recycled fabrics in Amazon private brands apparel products, including moving from conventional to recycled polyester and launching products made from innovative recycled fibers.