Criticism of Amazon's environmental impact explained

Amazon has been criticized for its negative impact on the environment. Critics have accused it of skirting environmental laws and of greenwashing.[1] [2] [3] [4] Amazon is the founding member of The Climate Pledge,[5] a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 for Amazon and other signatories to the pledge. However critics have claimed that the Climate Pledge amounts to little more than corporate PR due to the disconnect between the stated goals and the actions taken by the company.[6] [7] A number of Amazon's environmental actions and commitments, including the Climate Pledge, has come after sustained activism by employees and outsiders.[8] [9]

Amazon has been accused of illegal retaliation against employees engaging in climate activism.[10] On one occasion, the National Labor Relations Board found merit in an unfair labor practices suit.[11] Amazon settled with the plaintiffs out of court.[12]

Overview

Amazon's negative impact on the environment can be attributed to their business presence in logistics, supply chain, data centers, and consumer products. The company's large scale along with a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and plastic, as well as their anti-environmental lobbying practices[13] [14] contribute to the criticism. The company has repeatedly failed to disclose their emissions data in the past and currently discloses a subset of emissions data in a format that isn't aligned with reporting standards.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

Amazon's negative impact on the environment has been attributed to:

Lobbying against environmental protection laws

Amazon has been criticized for their lobbying practices. Amazon has supported lobbying groups like the US Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable who have pushed back on environmental protection clauses in the democrat-led Build Back Better bill.[28]

Amazon has lobbied for increased subsidies for Green Hydrogen, by silently backing the trade group Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA).[29] Critics have raised numerous problems with Green Hydrogen the primary one being that it requires a large amount of energy to produce and would merely move emissions from the tailpipe into the grid.[30] [31] Amazon's lobbying has taken place despite its own surveys finding 95% of the world's green Hydrogen is generated primarily in grids based on fossil fuels.

Amazon has a large number of data centers in Oregon[32] and has been criticized for overwhelming the supply of renewable energy in the state, requiring it to import dirty energy from outside the state. In 2023, Amazon lobbied against environmental protection legislation (bill HB2816) in Oregon, which sought to ensure new data centers would run completely on renewable energy by 2040.[33] Critics say that the bill was unsuccessful primarily due to Amazon's sustained lobbying efforts.[34] Representative Pam Marsh, a co-sponsor of the bill, said:

From the very first moment we started talking about this bill, Amazon started organizing against it

Refusal to disclose emissions

Amazon has consistently attained a rating of F by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). Amazon has been pressured in the past by some of its employees, via shareholder resolutions, to disclose emissions but has rejected all proposals.[35] [36]

Amazon has been criticized for selective reporting of emissions, not aligned with reporting standards. The CDP uses the Greenhouse Gas Protocol as its reporting standard[37] which requires a company to disclose emissions from all products purchased and sold. Amazon only reports on the emissions from private brand products which makes up an estimated 1% of its total sales.

Destruction of unsold and returned products

Amazon has engaged in destruction of unsold and returned products. An investigation by ITV in 2021 found that Amazon was destroying 130,000 items of unsold stock a week at one of the company's fulfillment centers in Scotland. The investigation uncovered a leaked document which had 124,000 items marked "destroy" and 28,000 items marked "donate". Amazon denied these claims.[38] Amazon has faced similar accusations in Germany and France, with the countries enacting new laws to make it more difficult for Amazon to continue such practices.[39]

Role in exporting plastic waste to be burnt in India

An investigation by Bloomberg in December 2022 revealed that plastic waste intended for recycling in the US was ending up in India where it was being burnt.[40] The investigation did not single out Amazon but noted that the most ubiquitous packaging in the garbage heaps was by Amazon. The report also noted that Amazon's packaging was difficult to recycle:

Amazon’s bubble-lined plastic bags carry the recycling logo that’s often criticized for confusing consumers into thinking its packaging is easily recycled. Soft plastics used in bags and wrappers are some of the hardest and least economically viable materials to recycle. Most American recyclers can’t process them.
Amazon declined to comment on the report.

Backtracking from previous climate change commitments

In May 2023 Amazon abandoned its Shipment Zero initiative, which it had earlier committed to in February 2019.[41] Amazon also deleted the blog post with the original commitment while releasing a separate statement saying that saying that Shipment Zero would be rolled into the overall Climate Change goal.[42] [43] Shipment Zero was a commitment to make half of all shipments by Amazon carbon neutral by 2030.[44]

Sale of climate change denial books

Amazon has sold climate change denial books that have been criticized as disinformation.[45] In an interview with the South China Morning Post and USA Today, the activist group Advance Democracy said that "no information panels popped up on video searches for 10 key phrases associated with climate change denial but did turn up an ad from Amazon linking to books that deny the existence of climate change."[46] Alastair McIntosh, a professor at the University of Glasgow speaking for RealClimate, said that it was odd for Amazon to sell books with non-peer-reviewed science:

Chill [a climate-change skepticism book] ranked as number one in Amazon UK’s bestselling league for 'global warming'. Invariably I have found myself asking of such figures, who have no credibly peer-reviewed publications in climate science: what makes them think that they know better than experts with a reputation worth not losing?[47]

Sale of illegal pesticides

Amazon has been persecuted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for their role, between 2013 to 2016, in importing, warehousing, packaging, shipping, and profiting from pesticides and insecticides that are illegal in the US.[48] In 2018, Amazon entered a settlement with the EPA and agreed to pay $1.2 million in penalties.[49]

"Forever chemicals" (PFAS) in packaging

Amazon faced a class-action lawsuit in 2020 over their use of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), colloquially known as "forever chemicals", in its Amazon Kitchen brand product, including disposable plates and bowls. The lawsuit claimed that Amazon marked the products as compostable when PFAS are not considered compostable.[50] [51] The lawsuit was dropped and Amazon made a policy update to not use PFAS in their Amazon Kitchen branded products.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Domínguez . Dani . 2024-04-23 . Amazon Greenwashing: How The U.S. Retail Giant Covers Its Carbon Footprint In Spain . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423154733/https://worldcrunch.com/green/amazon-greenwashing-spain . 2024-04-23 . 2024-07-26 . worldcrunch.com.
  2. Boylan . Lynn . Dufour . Alma . 2023-11-24 . Amazon's Climate Pledge Was a Lie . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231201074531/https://jacobin.com/2023/11/black-friday-amazon-climate-footprint-worker-organizing/ . 2023-12-01 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
  3. News: Coen . Susie . 2023-01-01 . Amazon's 'eco-friendly' packages wrapped in plastic and made 5,000 miles away . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230212201103/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/12/31/amazon-accused-grotesque-greenwashing-eco-friendly-products/ . 2023-02-12 . 2024-07-30 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
  4. News: Rannard . Georgina . 2022-02-07 . Climate change: Top companies exaggerating their progress - study . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220207012110/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60248830 . 2022-02-07 . 2024-07-27 . . en-GB.
  5. Web site: Be the planet's turning point . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200818081028/https://www.theclimatepledge.com/ . 2020-08-18 . 2024-07-26 . www.theclimatepledge.com . en.
  6. Web site: Trattner . Sydney . Taddonio . Patrice . 2020-02-18 . Bezos' $10 Billion Climate Pledge Makes No Mention of Amazon's Climate Impact . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200219193307/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/bezos-10-billion-climate-pledge-amazon-climate-impact/ . 2020-02-19 . 2024-07-26 . . . en-US.
  7. Web site: Stackl . Valenti . 2020-06-16 . Amazon's Corporate Climate Pledge: Too Slow and Not Enough - Greenpeace USA . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201031050125/https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/amazons-corporate-climate-pledge-too-slow-and-not-enough/ . 2020-10-31 . 2024-07-26 . . en-US.
  8. Glaser . April . 2019-09-20 . How to Make Tech Companies Actually Fight Climate Change . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230127222814/https://slate.com/technology/2019/09/amazon-climate-walkout-jeff-bezos-employees.html . 2023-01-27 . 2024-07-26 . . en-US . 1091-2339.
  9. News: Swanson . Conrad . 2024-06-18 . Amazon cancels plans to tap natural gas pipeline for data center . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240618232328/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/amazon-cancels-plans-to-tap-natural-gas-pipeline-for-data-center/ . 2024-06-18 . 2024-07-26 . . en-US.
  10. News: 2021-04-05 . Amazon 'illegally retaliated' against climate activists . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230922181959/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56641847 . 2023-09-22 . 2024-07-30 . . en-GB.
  11. News: Palmer . Annie . 2021-04-05 . Labor board finds Amazon illegally fired activist workers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210405133758/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/05/labor-board-reportedly-finds-amazon-illegally-fired-activist-workers.html . 2021-04-05 . 2024-07-30 . . en.
  12. News: Long . Katherine Anne . 2021-09-29 . Amazon settles with two Seattle workers who say they were wrongfully fired for their advocacy . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240414061119/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-settles-with-two-seattle-workers-who-say-they-were-wrongfully-fired-for-their-advocacy/ . 2024-04-14 . 2024-07-30 . . en-US.
  13. News: O'Donovan . Caroline . 2023-04-04 . Amazon, despite climate pledge, fought to kill emissions bill in Oregon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240727000355/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/04/amazon-climate-energy-fuel-oregon/ . 2024-07-27 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US . 0190-8286.
  14. Web site: Holt . Kris . 2021-10-01 . Apple, Amazon and others back groups trying to kill US climate legislation . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221120131616/https://www.engadget.com/apple-amazon-disney-microsoft-climate-bill-lobbyist-opposition-161736552.html . 2022-11-20 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
  15. News: González . Ángel . 2016-11-01 . Amazon gets an 'F' from the Carbon Disclosure Project . https://web.archive.org/web/20161103133006/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-reluctant-to-share-carbon-emissions-data/ . 2016-11-03 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
  16. News: Nauman . Billy . 2019-06-16 . Amazon accused of lack of transparency on climate impact . live . https://archive.today/20220323024345/https://www.ft.com/content/2695bd00-8fa2-11e9-aea1-2b1d33ac3271 . 2022-03-23 . 2024-07-26 . Financial Times.
  17. Web site: Evans . Will . 2022-02-25 . Private Report Shows How Amazon Drastically Undercounts Its Carbon Footprint . https://web.archive.org/web/20220301222249/https://revealnews.org/article/private-report-shows-how-amazon-drastically-undercounts-its-carbon-footprint/ . 2022-03-01 . 2024-07-26 . Reveal . en-US.
  18. Web site: Calma . Justine . 2022-08-01 . Amazon's climate pollution is getting way worse . https://web.archive.org/web/20240716130941/https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/1/23287351/amazon-climate-change-carbon-emissions-worse-2021 . 2024-07-16 . 2024-07-26 . . en.
  19. Book: Caraway, Brett . Interrogating Amazon's Sustainability Innovation . 2020 . Cultural Industries and the Environmental Crisis: New Approaches for Policy . 65–78 . Oakley . Kate . 2024-07-26 . Cham . Springer International Publishing . en . 10.1007/978-3-030-49384-4_6 . 978-3-030-49384-4 . Banks . Mark.
  20. Web site: Dayen . David . 2023-08-11 . Amazon's Quiet Role in the Green Hydrogen Debate . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230811223536/https://prospect.org/environment/2023-08-11-amazons-quiet-role-green-hydrogen-debate/ . 2023-08-11 . 2024-07-27 . The American Prospect . en-us.
  21. News: Palmer . Annie . 2023-04-06 . Why Amazon quashed an Oregon bill that aimed to curb data center emissions . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231031081914/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/06/why-amazon-fought-oregon-bill-that-aimed-to-curb-data-center-emissions.html . 2023-10-31 . 2024-07-27 . . en.
  22. News: Milman . Oliver . 2021-10-01 . Apple and Disney among companies backing groups against US climate bill . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211001060728/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/01/apple-amazon-microsoft-disney-lobby-groups-climate-bill-analysis . 2021-10-01 . 2024-07-27 . . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  23. News: Zhou . Amanda . 2024-07-16 . Climate protesters paint Prime Day message to Amazon on Seattle street . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240717075701/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/outside-amazon-spheres-protesters-call-for-zero-emission-deliveries/ . 2024-07-17 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
  24. Web site: Rosane . Olivia . 2021-11-30 . Why Do Walmart, Amazon, Target and IKEA Have Such High Shipping Emissions? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211201054614/https://www.ecowatch.com/shipping-emissions-companies-climate-2655881003.html . 2021-12-01 . 2024-07-27 . EcoWatch . en-US.
  25. News: Pallot . Richard . 2021-06-22 . Amazon destroying millions of items of unsold stock in one of its UK warehouses every year, ITV News investigation finds . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210621235131/https://www.itv.com/news/2021-06-21/amazon-destroying-millions-of-items-of-unsold-stock-in-one-of-its-uk-warehouses-every-year-itv-news-investigation-finds . 2021-06-21 . 2024-07-26 . . en.
  26. Fanger . Ella . 2024-02-22 . The Dirty Energy Fueling Amazon's Data Gold Rush . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240423174305/https://www.thenation.com/article/environment/data-centers-virginia-amazon-environment/ . 2024-04-23 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US . 0027-8378.
  27. Web site: Rogoway . Mike . 2024-02-17 . How one of Oregon's smallest utilities became one of the state's biggest polluters . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240601170832/https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2024/02/one-of-oregons-smallest-utilities-is-suddenly-among-the-states-biggest-polluters-why-amazon-data-centers.html . 2024-06-01 . 2024-07-27 . oregonlive . en.
  28. News: Milman . Oliver . 2021-10-01 . Apple and Disney among companies backing groups against US climate bill . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211001060728/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/01/apple-amazon-microsoft-disney-lobby-groups-climate-bill-analysis . 2021-10-01 . 2024-07-27 . . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  29. Web site: Dayen . David . 2023-08-11 . Amazon's Quiet Role in the Green Hydrogen Debate . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230811223536/https://prospect.org/environment/2023-08-11-amazons-quiet-role-green-hydrogen-debate/ . 2023-08-11 . 2024-07-27 . The American Prospect . en-us.
  30. Web site: Ross . Kit Million . 2024-01-31 . The greenwashing trap: how green hydrogen can keep its promises . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240727142711/https://www.power-technology.com/features/the-greenwashing-trap-how-green-hydrogen-can-keep-its-promises/ . 2024-07-27 . 2024-07-27 . Power Technology . en-US.
  31. Web site: Doig . Alison . 2023-11-20 . Why the World Bank should be cautious on green hydrogen . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240106010945/https://www.energymonitor.ai/opinion/beyond-the-h2ype-why-the-world-bank-should-be-cautious-on-green-hydrogen/ . 2024-01-06 . 2024-07-27 . Energy Monitor . en-US.
  32. Web site: Rogoway . Mike . 2022-05-05 . Amazon seeks tax breaks for 5 new data centers, worth $12B, in remote Oregon county . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240718163409/https://www.oregonlive.com/silicon-forest/2022/05/amazon-seeks-tax-breaks-for-5-new-data-centers-worth-12-billion-in-remote-oregon-county.html . 2024-07-18 . 2024-07-27 . oregonlive . en.
  33. News: Palmer . Annie . 2023-04-06 . Why Amazon quashed an Oregon bill that aimed to curb data center emissions . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231031081914/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/06/why-amazon-fought-oregon-bill-that-aimed-to-curb-data-center-emissions.html . 2023-10-31 . 2024-07-27 . . en.
  34. News: Rogoway . Mike . 2022-05-05 . Amazon, despite climate pledge, fought to kill emissions bill in Oregon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240727000355/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/04/04/amazon-climate-energy-fuel-oregon/ . 2024-07-27 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
  35. News: Romano . Benjamin . 2018-12-17 . Amazon feels heat from employees on climate change and disclosing its efforts . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240415190444/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-employees-push-company-to-act-faster-on-climate-change-and-disclose-more/ . 2024-04-15 . 2024-07-28 . . en-US.
  36. News: Rosenblatt . Lauren . 2023-05-24 . Amazon investors reject proposals on worker safety, climate impact . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230524192405/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-investors-reject-proposals-on-worker-safety-climate-impact/ . 2023-05-24 . 2024-07-28 . . en-US.
  37. Klaaßen . Lena . Stoll . Christian . 2021-10-22 . Harmonizing corporate carbon footprints . . en . 12 . 1 . 6149 . 10.1038/s41467-021-26349-x . 34686675 . 2041-1723. 8536701 .
  38. News: Harrison . Jody . 2021-06-21 . Amazon branded 'obscene' over claims thousands of useable items marked for landfill . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210621204203/https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/19387292.amazon-dunfermline-company-denies-denies-claim-thousands-items-sent-landfill/ . 2021-06-21 . 2024-07-26 . . en.
  39. News: Webster . Ben . 2024-07-26 . Amazon destroys lorry-loads of unsold TVs and computers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210621231105/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/amazon-destroys-lorry-loads-of-unsold-tvs-and-computers-z87dn599w . 2021-06-21 . 2024-07-26 . . en.
  40. News: Ha . K Oanh . 2022-12-27 . Amazon Packages Burn in India, Last Stop in Broken Recycling System . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240408223210/https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-india-plastic-recycling-pollution/ . 2024-04-08 . 2024-07-26 . . en.
  41. Web site: Peters . Adele . 2019-02-21 . How Amazon plans to make half of its shipments carbon neutral by 2030 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190221153843/https://www.fastcompany.com/90309906/how-amazon-plans-to-make-half-of-its-shipments-carbon-neutral-by-2030 . 2019-02-21 . 2024-07-27 . fastcompany.com.
  42. Web site: Peters . Adele . 2023-05-30 . Amazon quietly ditched its plan to make half of all shipments carbon neutral by 2030 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230601010457/https://www.fastcompany.com/90902541/amazon-quietly-ditched-its-plan-to-make-half-of-all-shipments-carbon-neutral-by-2030 . 2023-06-01 . 2024-07-27 . fastcompany.com.
  43. News: Barr . Alistair . 2023-05-25 . Amazon gives up a key part of its climate pledge and deletes the blog post that announced the Shipment Zero initiative. We dug up the details anyway. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230526000550/https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-shipment-zero-gives-up-most-important-part-climate-pledge-2023-5 . 2023-05-26 . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
  44. News: Higgins-Dunn . Noah . 2019-03-08 . Jeff Bezos is finally ending secrecy over Amazon's role in carbon emissions . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190309011416/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/jeff-bezos-to-end-secrecy-over-amazons-role-in-carbon-emissions.html . 2019-03-09 . 2024-07-27 . . en.
  45. News: Contreras . Brian . 2021-07-26 . As Jeff Bezos stresses climate change, Amazon promotes books saying it's fake . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726121808/https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-07-26/jeff-bezos-climate-change-amazon-promotes-hoax . 2021-07-26 . 2024-07-26 . . en-US.
  46. Web site: 2022-01-26 . 'It's as bad as ever': climate change denial still rages on social media . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220202082449/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3164673/how-climate-change-denial-youtube-facebook-twitter-and-tiktok-not-going . 2022-02-02 . 2024-07-26 . South China Morning Post . en.
  47. Web site: McIntosh . Alastair . 2020-08-20 . RealClimate: Denial and Alarmism in the Near-Term Extinction and Collapse Debate . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200821013202/https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2020/08/denial-and-alarmism-in-the-near-term-extinction-and-collapse-debate/ . 2020-08-21 . 2024-07-26 . www.realclimate.org . en.
  48. Web site: Campbell . Lisa M. . 2018-02-16 . EPA Settles with Amazon on Distribution of Unregistered Pesticides . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240225041958/https://www.lawbc.com/epa-settles-with-amazon-on-distribution-of-unregistered-pesticides/ . 2024-02-25 . 2024-07-30 . Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. . en.
  49. News: 2018-02-15 . Amazon to pay $1.2 million in settlement over pesticide sales . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180215213551/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-usa-pesticides/amazon-to-pay-1-2-million-in-settlement-over-pesticide-sales-u-s-says-idUSKCN1FZ2LN . 2018-02-15 . 2024-07-29 . Reuters.
  50. News: Earls . Maya . 2020-06-19 . Amazon Facing Class Action Alleging PFAS in Disposable Plates . live . 2024-08-01 . Bloomberg Law.
  51. Bandoim . Lana . February 9, 2021 . Amazon Bans Toxic Chemicals From Its Food Packaging . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110230353/https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanabandoim/2021/01/14/amazon-bans-toxic-chemicals-from-its-food-packaging/?sh=2b1a95cf2d31 . 2023-11-10 . 2024-08-01 . . en.

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