Washington — Fairtrade America has been selected by Amazon.com, Inc. as the exclusive fair trade certification for the online giant’s Climate Pledge Friendly program, which aims to help make it easy for consumers to discover more sustainable products, the certifying agency reports.
“It’s fantastic to see Amazon helping shoppers to find sustainable products more easily. Fairtrade is committed to supply chain transparency and environmental protection, and we are therefore delighted to be involved in Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program” says Darío Soto Abril, CEO of Fairtrade International. “I look forward to seeing it launch in the US, and hope it will encourage even more brands to source more sustainably and certify their products, for the benefit of farmers, workers and our shared planet.”
Recently introduced in the U.S., Climate Pledge Friendly badges will be displayed on more than 25,000 products sold on Amazon, according to Fairtrade America. The online retailer evaluated hundreds of external sustainability certifications and selected organizations that certify products with proven environmentally related sustainability efforts.
Anne Marie Yao, a cocoa producer from Ivory Coast and regional cocoa manager at Fairtrade Africa, says: “We are really excited to see this development from Amazon. As producers, we are on the frontline of climate change, which affects our crops and our livelihoods, so we welcome this program. Driving demand for, and sales of, sustainable products will not only support producers with climate resilience, but also result in higher incomes for producers, thanks to the Fairtrade guaranteed Minimum Price and Premium. Anything that helps consumers to choose Fairtrade, helps us as producers to improve our livelihoods and protect the environment.”
