Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Amazon set the target date for achieving net-zero carbon by 2040?

Scientists tell us that we have a limited window to make unprecedented headway towards the biggest environmental and societal impact we can have: stay below 1.5 degrees Celsius of global temperature rise. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world would have to curb its carbon emissions by at least half by 2030 and then achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to meet this target. Through The Climate Pledge, Amazon joins other signatories who believe that accelerating action to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement, is the right thing to do for our planet and our businesses.

What is Amazon’s conflict minerals policy, and what steps has Amazon taken to ensure that its manufactured products do not contain conflict minerals?

Amazon conducts due diligence on our private label and contract manufacturing product supply chains, including the potential sourcing of conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries. We do this because we believe it’s the right thing for customers. We expect suppliers to support our effort to identify the origin of designated minerals used in our products. Amazon’s Conflict Minerals Report is made public through our SEC filings and can be found on our Investor Relations site under Corporate Governance.

How can Amazon customers repair, return, or recycle Amazon products and packaging?

Through Amazon Second Chance, we provide customers with ways to responsibly retire their products.

Customers in the U.S., the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Japan can access a range of services to recycle, repair, or trade in their items, as well as shop for like-new and refurbished products.

How does Amazon Web Services help customers meet their sustainability goals?

Addressing climate change requires innovation across the world, across industries, and across startups and multi-national corporations. From distributed energy and storage solutions, to efficiency and optimization software—clean technology investment and innovation is surging. To help foster the rapid growth of clean tech innovations, AWS launched the AWS Clean Energy Accelerator in 2021. The program seeks to help clean energy startups accelerate their impact, access additional resources, and expand their reach. The AWS Clean Energy Accelerator was developed in collaboration with Freshwater Advisors, a U.S.-based innovation consultancy and venture catalyst.

Additionally, as AWS continues to invest in sustainability across our infrastructure, many of our customers have asked us to help measure the carbon footprint of their AWS workloads—both to understand how moving to AWS reduces their carbon footprint and to report their overall footprint.

Our new customer carbon footprint tool uses simple visualizations to show customers their historical carbon emissions, estimate emissions avoided by using AWS instead of an on-premises data center, and review forecasted emissions based on their current use. The forecast shows how customers’ footprints will change as Amazon stays on path to powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years earlier than the original target of 2030, and drives toward net-zero carbon by 2040.

Does Amazon have programs in place to reduce packaging waste?

We work with brands across the globe to optimize their packaging, reducing material use while protecting products for a safe delivery. Our Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) program is designed to reinvent the packaging experience by certifying products that are ready to ship to customers in their original product packaging, without any added Amazon packaging. In 2022, SIPP accounted for 11% of packages globally. This program, along with other efforts, has also helped us to reduce outbound packaging weight per shipment by 41% on average since 2015 - that’s more than 2 million tons of packaging material.

When additional Amazon packaging is required to ship a product, we prioritize packaging reduction and recyclability. For example, in 2022, we expanded our use of our curbside recyclable paper-padded mailers across the U.S. and Canada, replacing 99% of our mixed-material padded bags that could not be recycled.

Additionally, machine learning helps us determine which products are suitable for flexible packaging, such as padded mailers and bags, which are up to 90% lighter than similar-sized boxes. For orders with multiple items, machine learning algorithms help us determine the optimal fit to reduce empty space in boxes. Optimized shipments also require less space in the vehicles that deliver packages to our customers, helping reduce the number of vehicles on the road.

Learn more about how we’re improving our packaging.

Does Amazon report progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion?

Representation matters. We track the representation of women and underrepresented communities because we know that diversity helps us build better teams that obsess over and better represent our global customer base. We have made year-over-year progress, and we will continue to strive for better representation across our company.

See our workforce data.

Does Amazon’s board have oversight over the company’s sustainability initiatives?

Yes. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Amazon’s Board of Directors oversees the company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance policies and initiatives, including the Company’s progress on The Climate Pledge, and risks related to the Company’s operations, supply chain, and customer engagement.

Amazon’s Board of Directors oversee executives’ management of Amazon’s relevant risks and regularly reviews reports from management on various aspects of our business, including related risks and tactics and strategies for addressing them. While the full Board has overall responsibility for risk oversight, the Board has delegated responsibility related to certain risks to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee, and the Audit Committee.

Learn more about the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of Amazon’s Board of Directors.

Does Amazon disclose its political contributions?

We have posted a U.S. political expenditure statement on our Investor Relations website, which is updated annually. As noted in our political expenditures statement, our political expenditures are approved by our Vice President of Public Policy, reviewed by our Senior Vice President for Global Corporate Affairs and by our Senior Vice President and General Counsel, and reported on to our Audit Committee. We include disclosure of each U.S.-based trade association, coalition, charity, or social welfare organization to which we contribute at least $10,000 through the Company’s Public Policy Office, and disclosure of each ballot initiative contribution (including the amount).

For more information, please see Amazon’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Does Amazon release a statement in accordance with the United Kingdom Modern Slavery Act?

Yes. Amazon is committed to improving working conditions within its manufacturing supply chain and operations, and recognizes the need to monitor for conditions that put workers at risk of forced labor. Amazon’s Modern Slavery Statement is reviewed by multiple teams within Amazon and endorsed by senior leadership annually.

Does Amazon have a code of conduct?

Yes. Amazon is strongly committed to conducting our business in a lawful and ethical manner.

For more information, please see Amazon’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Does Amazon have a Supplier Code of Conduct?

Yes. Amazon is committed to conducting our business in a lawful and responsible manner, including engaging with suppliers that respect human rights, providing safe and inclusive workplaces, and promoting a sustainable future.

We set a high bar for ourselves and our suppliers. Our Supply Chain Standards detail the requirements and expectations for our suppliers, their supply chains, and selling partners who list products in our stores. They are grounded in principles of inclusivity, continuous improvement, and supply chain accountability. We engage with suppliers that are committed to these same principles, and suppliers commit to these standards as a condition of doing business with us.

Download and read Amazon’s Supply Chain Standards.

Does Amazon have a formalized health and safety policy?

Yes. Amazon’s Health and Safety policy is covered in our Supply Chain Standards and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Does Amazon have a chemicals policy?

Yes. Part of our commitment to quality is avoiding chemicals of concern in our products that can affect human health and/or the environment. We define chemicals of concern as those chemicals that:

  1. Meet the criteria for classification as a carcinogen, mutagen, or reproductive or other systemic toxicant; or
  2. Are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic.

We use leading science and customer feedback to prioritize which chemicals of concern to focus on based on product type, customer concerns, and the availability of safer alternatives.
Learn more about the chemicals we seek to avoid in our Restricted Substance List and our Food Contact Materials Restricted Substance List.

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