The Organisation
Membership status: Strategic Partner
Founded in the USA in 1994 as an online store for books, Amazon has grown to become one of the world’s largest retailers and technology companies. It has pioneered innovations including one-click shopping, customer reviews, and personalised recommendations, as well as products and services including Amazon Prime, Alexa, and Kindle.
Amazon joined the Foundation’s Network as a Member in 2019 and became a Strategic Partner in 2022.
As a Strategic Partner, Amazon will leverage its influence, technology, and innovation capabilities to launch and scale industry-wide circular economy solutions.
Our Collaboration
The Foundation is currently collaborating with Amazon to develop certifications that recognise products with circular attributes, as well as meeting with signatories of its Climate Pledge — a commitment to reach net zero by 2040 — to share ideas and action points for potential circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. initiatives. Amazon has stated that the circular economy is integral to achieve this target, and a priority across all areas of its business, from products and packaging to data centres.
Amazon is also supporting the Foundation’s Plastics Initiative, which is working with reusereuseThe repeated use of a product or component for its intended purpose without significant modification. partners and experts to develop a vision for scaling returnable packaging systems. This work uses future visualisation and analytical modelling to show how scaled reuse systems can perform economically, environmentally, and experientially in comparison to single-use.
We are excited to be working with Amazon on a range of circular economy initiatives — the company’s influence, ability to innovate, and capacity to scale solutions means there is huge scope to drive real transformational change. We are looking forward to supporting their circular economy journey with our long-term collaboration.
- Joe Murphy, Executive Lead, Network, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Circular economy initiatives are integral to us meeting our Climate Pledge goal, and as with many aspects of sustainability, industry standards and collaboration are also essential. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has done amazing research and work to create frameworks for us all to work toward. Their advice will be extremely valuable as we work on our own initiatives, and their Network will help to ensure those initiatives can scale to have greater impact across the industry.
- Rich Loretto, Director of Circular Economy, Amazon
The circular economy in action at Amazon: standards and certifications
The Foundation is currently collaborating with Amazon to develop rigorous third-party certifications that recognise products with circular attributes. This multi-stakeholder effort includes the NSF, which develops public health standards and services that help protect the environment, and International and Scientific Certification Systems Global (SCS Global).
The aim is to encourage brands, manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, and e-commerce platforms to design products in accordance with circular economy principles, as well as provide customers with information about how products are designed, enabling them to engage with the circular economy.
One such certification is the Recycled Content Standard for Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Launched in May 2023 as an extension to SCS Global’s Recycled Content Standard, it verifies the percentage of recycled materials in these products against minimum thresholds. Products must also contain more than one recycled material input, promoting the use of more and varied recycled materials.
Visit the Amazon website for further information.
