Sustainability labels are shifting shopping decisions

For customers looking to make more responsible choices with their online shopping, Climate Pledge Friendly takes the guesswork out of searching for products that meet sustainability standards.

Five years ago, Amazon introduced Climate Pledge Friendly, a program designed to help customers discover and shop for products with verified sustainability features.

The program recognizes products that meet sustainability standards and third-party certifications, using automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify those that may be eligible for Climate Pledge Friendly. Products that qualify for the program receive a green leaf icon and a sustainability features label. One click on the label shows additional information about the specific certifications or features a product has, such as safer chemicals, packaging efficiency, and organic content.

Since 2020, Climate Pledge Friendly has grown to become an industry-leading program that is raising awareness of how to shop with intention. It’s also allowing customers to signal their desire for more products designed with sustainability in mind—and manufacturers are noticing. More selling partners have recently started labeling products to highlight various sustainability certifications.

Recent Climate Pledge Friendly milestones include:

• Products in the Climate Pledge Friendly program soared over 8,000%, from 25,000 products in 2020 to more than 2 million in 2025, as more manufacturers achieved certifications and their products were added to the program.
• Customers purchased more than 1.7 billion Climate Pledge Friendly-badged products in 2024, a 48% increase from 2023.
• Since 2020, more than 143 million customers have switched from a conventional product to a product recognized by certifications that are part of Climate Pledge Friendly.
• Customers across 14 international online stores can now shop for Climate Pledge Friendly-badged products. 

How does Climate Pledge Friendly find the products to show customers? And do customers truly trust these products as more sustainable choices?

As a senior technical product manager for the Climate Pledge Friendly team, it’s Kyle Bowman’s job to consider questions like these.

“My role is to identify products on Amazon that may qualify for the Climate Pledge Friendly program based on the certifications we recognize,” Bowman said. “I use tools like computer vision and AI to confirm that product inputs align with sustainability standards and look for evidence to support sustainability claims. It’s a fun and challenging job that lets me explore every product category and help customers find options that align with their values.”

Product qualification

Qualifying products must first be recognized by at least one of more than 50 sustainability certifications. Amazon collaborates with a wide range of external certifications—including government agencies, nonprofits, and independent laboratories—and has even created its own certifications to help distinguish products with sustainability features. The Climate Pledge Friendly team also routinely evaluates and reassesses the certification landscape to ensure that trusted certifications are included in the program.

Aside from analyzing millions of products and identifying those that may qualify for program inclusion, Bowman also authenticates and verifies the certification status of each product. He validates the labels, proof of certification documents, and other identifiable markers to assess how products meet or exceed sustainability standards.

For example, Climate Pledge Friendly highlights products with trusted certifications like USDA Organic, which indicates that they meet standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for organic farming and production. To identify these items, Bowman’s team uses machine vision, AI, and evidence documents, along with automated checks that navigate scenarios such as mixed organic and non-organic bundles. Verified products are stored in a central database for quick review and clear traceability. By combining data from sustainability certifications, Amazon selling partners, and internal sources, the team reconciles product information and determines each item’s eligibility in Climate Pledge Friendly.

Bowman also continually refines these processes with the goal that only products with verified sustainability credentials enter the program.

Program inclusion and badging

Once a product qualifies for the program, it’s ready to show customers by reflecting the green leaf icon, alongside the sustainability features label.

“We simplify recognizing and understanding sustainability labels, putting them in a format that anyone can understand,” Bowman said. “Customers shouldn’t have to search for answers on a product’s sustainability features. We do the work for them, providing clear sustainability information when they are choosing what to buy.”

Increasing demand through transparency

As a result of customers having a wider variety of more sustainable shopping choices, Bowman has observed that the demand is naturally increasing, too.

To inspire and incentivize selling partners to hold products to higher sustainability standards, Amazon published a peer-reviewed economic analysis in early 2025 on the impact of the Climate Pledge Friendly badge. Amazon teams observed thousands of products available through the program across the U.S. and Europe, both before products received the badge and for 12 weeks after.

“On average, we found that there was a 12% sales lift within the first year of a product joining the program,” Bowman said. A follow-up study from Harvard Business Review supports this: After analyzing more than 10 months of data from Amazon and comparing metrics for hundreds of products with and without the Climate Pledge Friendly badge, it found that sustainability-related labels boosted consumer demand for that product by approximately 14% for eight weeks after the addition of the label—regardless of product type. These results directly suggest that consumers are recognizing and responding to these labels when shopping.

“We’re seeing that when manufacturers invest in getting their products certified and badged, sales increase, allowing brands to offer even more sustainable options,” Bowman said. “Momentum is building; more customers value sustainability, and our validation helps provide the trust they need.”

Every customer makes an impact

When customers opt for a product that’s part of Climate Pledge Friendly, they’re directly supporting brands and companies that are making an effort to enhance their sustainability impact. Every choice can make a difference, and by choosing items with sustainability certifications—from household grocery staples certified by Rainforest Alliance to be made with materials harvested from responsibly managed farms, to beauty supplies certified by Cradle to Cradle to address the entire life cycle of the product—customers can feel proud about making more conscious shopping decisions through Amazon.

Look for the leaf to discover and shop for products with sustainability certifications this holiday season. 

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Kyle’s personal go-to Climate Pledge Friendly product

“My personal go-to Climate Pledge Friendly product is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Liquid Soap. I love how it smells, how well it works, and how long it lasts, along with the fact that it is Regenerative Organic, EWG Verified, and Fair for Life certified.”