Products you can trust: helping customers shop with the planet in mind

How Nneka Leiba prioritizes credibility and clarity in her work on the Climate Pledge Friendly program.

Nneka Leiba learned early that science could help protect both people and the planet. Surrounded by rivers, forests, and coastlines in her native Jamaica, she grew curious about how natural systems work and how environmental conditions shape human health. That interest led to degrees in environmental biology, zoology, and public health, and a 15-year career researching chemicals in consumer products.

As Amazon’s global lead for selection science, Leiba and her team evaluate products’ sustainability-related attributes and certifications. She primarily works on the Climate Pledge Friendly program, which is designed to help customers discover and shop for products with trusted third-party certifications that have been vetted for inclusion in the program. Leiba's team helps evaluate those certifications, then highlights products that have earned them to help customers make choices that align with their values.

“I tell my family I help people find products made with the planet in mind,” she said. “Our team sets the criteria, checks the information, and makes sure customers have clear, trustworthy choices.”

Building clarity customers can rely on

The program had recently launched when Leiba joined Amazon in 2021. As she stepped into her role, she and her team worked with external organizations to continue to build Climate Pledge Friendly’s scientific criteria as more customers and brands engaged with the program.

“For customers to trust what we highlight, the standards behind it need to be both strong and easy to understand,” she said. “Our job is making sure the information is reliable and backed by good science.”

Her team has vetted more than 500 potential sustainability certifications for inclusion in the program. Maintaining a high bar, Climate Pledge Friendly leverages more than 60 approved certifications today. These include well-known ones like USDA Organic, which indicates a product meets standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for organic farming and production, and other certifications customers may be less familiar with like the Global Recycled Standard, which certifies products that contain at least 50% recycled content. Products that meet these verified standards qualify for the Climate Pledge Friendly badge. The program now includes more than 2 million products, up from 25,000 products when it first launched in 2020.

Research shows that sustainability-related certifications have boosted consumer demand for products. On average, products that earn the Climate Pledge Friendly badge see a 12% sales lift within the first year of a product joining the program, according to a peer-reviewed economic analysis Amazon published in early 2025. Leiba said several brands have shared with Amazon that customer interest in Climate Pledge Friendly products has prompted them to look at how they source materials or design for sustainability.

She has similarly high standards, and empathy.

“I care deeply about the science, and I care deeply about the people doing the work,” she said. “Our team connects as humans first, and that helps us deliver clarity customers can rely on.”

Why more sustainable shopping choices matter                  

Leiba believes more sustainable shopping choices should be accessible to everyone, not just people steeped in how environmental science intersects with consumerism. But she knows the landscape can be confusing.

“Not every claim about sustainability is based on strong standards,” she said. “Some are credible. Some are marketing. Customers should have simple ways to tell the difference and that’s what my team helps provide.”

Three common misconceptions about sustainability she said customers can look out for:

• Misconception: All sustainability claims mean the same thing. They don’t. Certification programs have different criteria and processes to determine if they consider a product to be a sustainable option.
  
  
• Misconception: Individual choices don’t matter. They do. Customers are incredibly powerful, Leiba said. When people choose to make more sustainable shopping choices, brands tend to listen and may change how their items are made in response.
  
  
• Misconception: Sustainability is only about carbon. While carbon is an important aspect of sustainability, it is only one part of the picture. Making progress on sustainability also involves using safer chemicals, adopting responsible sourcing practices, and prioritizing the well-being of the people who make the products we buy.

Learn more about how sustainability labels are shifting shopping decisions.

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