How to Get the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly Badge

Amazon is making it easier for eco-conscious customers to discover and shop for green products. The Climate Pledge Friendly badge now highlights products on Amazon that meet certain third-party sustainability certifications such as ENERGYSTAR or Fairtrade.

The Climate Pledge Friendly badge is available for products across a wide range of categories including grocery, household, fashion, beauty, health, consumer electronics, and more.

Customers can see the badge on products as they scroll the search page or on product detail pages. Clicking on the badge allows customers to view which certifications the product meets and learn more about how those certifications positively impact the environment.

Amazon has also created a Climate Pledge Friendly storefront to allow customers to browse through certified products by category.

As more customers factor sustainability into their purchasing decisions, the new badge provides Amazon sellers with a unique opportunity to stand out against competitors as a greener option.

How to Get the Climate Pledge Friendly Badge

The Climate Pledge Friendly badge is specific to products, not to brand. To secure the badge, your product must be certified by one or more of the sustainability certifications partners listed on Amazon’s certification page.

(Note: Many certifications are specific to an industry.)

Climate Pledge Friendly Certification Partners

1. ENERGY STAR Most Efficient
2. Fairtrade International
3. Bluesign
4. Reducing CO2
5. Carbon Free Certified
6. ECOLOGO
7. Cradle to Cradle Certified
8. EPEAT
9. Global Recycled Standard
10. Green Seal
11. Forest Stewardship Council
12. Rainforest Alliance
13. Recycled Claim Standard 100
14. Recycled Claim Standard Blended
15. Responsible Wool Standard
16. Organic Content Standard 100
17. Global Organic Textile Standard
18. Made in Green by Oeko-Tex
19. Amazon’s Compact by Design

Amazon has promised to “routinely evaluate and reassess the certification landscape,” so brands who carry certifications not included in the partnership could have the opportunity to qualify for Climate Pledge Friendly in the future.

Once your product is certified in one of the nineteen certifications, Amazon will automatically begin displaying the “Climate Pledge Friendly” badge and list each of your certifications. If the badge does not display, you should contact Amazon via Vendor or Seller Central to ensure the badge is added

(Tip: If your product is Climate Pledge Friendly, be sure to also call out your sustainability in your product detail page content and on your Amazon Storefront. This allows you to play off your certification to make the most of your eco-friendly value proposition. Read more about selling premium products on Amazon.)

Amazon’s “Compact by Design” Certification

Along with their 18 other certification partners, Amazon created their own certification called “Compact by Design” which recognizes products that use efficient design. According to Amazon, removing excess air or water from products will result in less packaging and more efficient shipping. 
To qualify for Compact by Design, a product must have great “unit efficiency”. According to Amazon, a unit is defined as the “total amount of product in the container being evaluated” and is standardized across product categories (loads for detergent, ounces for coffee, etc.). You can find the “unit” listed in your product catalog in Seller Central or Vendor Central.

Calculating Unit Efficiency

Amazon calculates unit efficiency as: (cubed volume per unit) x (weight per unit). This metric allows Amazon to standardize the utilization of volume and weight for the units that any product delivers.

In this equation, having a lower unit efficiency value is good because it means that your product has a more efficient design. For example, a concentrated laundry detergent can deliver the same number of units (loads) in a smaller volume and weight than a non-concentrated detergent, resulting in a better unit efficiency.

Amazon sets category thresholds by calculating unit efficiency across all items in a product category. By having a better unit efficiency than your category’s threshold, you prove to be among the most Compact by Design in your category and receive the Climate Pledge Friendly badge.

The Future of Eco-Friendly Retail

Shopping behavior is changing. As more consumers look for ways to support sustainable products with their dollar, standing out as the “green” option can prove to be beneficial for your business on Amazon.

Another avenue Amazon has taken to be more eco-friendly is to provide options for Frustration-Free Packaging which is specifically designed to be unpacked without the hassle and generates minimal waste.

Just like organic certification, being Climate Pledge Friendly can often help justify a price difference to consumers who are willing to pay more for products that help preserve the natural world.

But the benefits aren’t just in the short term.

It’s also likely that Amazon will continue to promote its Climate Pledge Friendly products in new and exciting ways on the site. That means that early adoption in the free program can be extremely rewarding!