5 Incredibly Easy Ways to Shop More Sustainably on Amazon
While many of us have the best of intentions with supporting small, local, or sustainable businesses whenever possible, the truth is, sometimes Amazon is just incredibly convenient when raising a family! (I mean, it’s convenient for everyone, but when you’re a mom, it brings convenience to a whole new level) When you’re juggling multiple people’s needs and schedules, Amazon is a real life saver for ensuring exactly what you need shows up at your door, on time.
But what if I told you there’s a way to incorporate your values for sustainability into your Amazon shopping experience? It is indeed possible, you just need to know where to get started. In this blog post, we’ll be detailing 5 easy ways you can shop more sustainably on Amazon – and still enjoy the benefits of convenience. And the best part is, these easy ways are really as easy as changing the link you click in to Amazon with.
#1 Shop Climate Pledge Friendly
Link: amazon.com/climatepledgefriendly
As we mentioned above, more often than not, making the switch to shopping more sustainably on Amazon is as easy as pluging an extended URL into your browser, like the one above. But what does it mean (exactly) to shop Cimlate Pledge Friendly? Amazon has partnered with trusted third-party certifications like Fair Trade Certified, Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX, MADE SAFE, and more (check out the full list here) to ensure the list of products that have Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly badge are indeed sustainable choices. Additionally, Amazon has created two of their very own certificates: Compact by Design and Pre-Owned Certified to ensure products meet their own standards for sustainability when it comes to a products shippability and condition (if pre-owned).
If you see the little green Climate Pledge Friendly underneath a products name while you shop, you can rest assured that it meets a certain set of requirements, and you can also view which certifications it has been given.
Learn more about Compact by Design
Learn more about Pre-Owned Certified
#2 Shop Amazon Aware
Link: amazon.com/amazonaware
Another easy option for buying products that would be considered more “green” on Amazon is to shop via the Amazon Aware storefront. By using the link above, you can view hundreds of products that are both Climate Pledge Friendly certified and verified carbon neutral. Products that are listed in the Amazon Aware storefront are all made of organic, natural ingredients, so this is a great place to start for beauty products, household cleaners, clothes, bed sheets, and more.
Learn more about Amazon Aware
#3 Shop AmazonSmile
Link: smile.amazon.com
This may be the easiest way of all to shop more sustainably on Amazon. With AmazonSmile, you have access to the entirety of Amazon’s storefront, but the key difference is that a portion of the money spent goes to a non-profit organization of your choice. There are over one million local and national charitable organizations to choose from, so sending money to a charity that supports sustainability has likely never been easier. To utilize AmazonSmile you’ll simply head to smile.amazon.com, sign in, choose the charity of your choice, and shop and buy as usual! The storefront is exactly the same, the only thing that changes is that a portion of your money goes to a cause you believe in. Not only is this the easiest way to do good on Amazon, it also might be our favorite because of the level of intentionality you can put into the charity you choose! Below are a few of our favorites that you can choose through Amazon. The first two are also organizations which Ade + Ayo gives back to as a part of our business ethics. (to support any of these organizations through Amazon Smile, simply type it’s name into the Charity search bar)
Charities that Support Sustainability
- The Nature Conservancy
- Environmental Working Group (EWG)
- Friends of the Earth
- Ocean Conservancy
- The Sierra Club
Shop Amazon Renewed
Link: amazon.com/renewed
A best practice for sustainability is to buy re-used or pre-owned whenever possible. By preserving and pro-longing the lifespan of products that already exist, we help reduce our carbon footprint. Amazon Renewed is a simple way to help you do just that! This is more specific to pre-owned electronics, but with “e-waste” contributing to 70% of overall toxic waste, it’s important to make sure more electronics don’t end up in our landfills. Each Amazon Renewed certified product meets an extensive and rigorous set of requirements to ensure the fact that it is reused does not take away from your user experience. But, if you’re really worried about getting a faulty product, Amazon Renewed certified electronics come with a 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
Bonus: if you have previously owned electronics that you no longer need, you can trade them in to Amazon for Amazon gift cards and/or promotional discounts. To do this, simply visit amazon.com/tradein, select the category that fits your item, read the requirements, and send it in! It’s that easy. Don’t think its usable? Amazon accepts small consumer electronics for recycling for free! This can also be done through Amazon Trade In.
#5 Shop Amazon Warehouse
Link: amazon.com/Warehouse-Deals
Hoping to buy second hand products that outside of electronics? Look no further than the Amazon Warehouse store! You can find almost anything you need (baby supplies, organizational must-haves, home decor, and more!) within Amazon Warehouse. To keep things legit (and safe), Amazon inspects all items for quality assurance. And just as with Amazon Renewed, if for any reason you are dissatisfied with your products, you’re covered by a 30-day return policy. The only catch here is that, as you may have expected, the inventory here is constantly shifting, as new pre-owned or open boxed items are returned and sold. So, if you see something you’ve been looking for, order quickly!
And just like that...
You have five easy ways that you can shop on Amazon more sustainably today. We hope this was helpful and gave you some ideas for making small changes that can make a big difference! If you’re looking for even more tips, be sure to check out our other blog posts or leave us a comment below. And don’t forget to share this post with your friends – the more people who know about these tips, the more sustainable shopping we can all do together! Are there any other easy swaps for shopping more sustainably that you would like to see us cover? Let us know in the comments and we might just add them to our list.
Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly, Amazon Aware, Amazon Smile, Amazon Renewed, Amazon Trade In, and Amazon Warehouse images found at applicable Amazon sites