Amazon accused of ‘greenwashing on a grotesque scale’

// Amazon accused of greenwashing on its eco-friendly ‘Amazon Aware’ range
// Items from the range were made up to 5,000 miles away and delivered in single-use plastic

Amazon is accused of greenwashing after its eco-friendly range was found to have been made up to 5,000 miles away and delivered in single-use plastic.

The online giant, which launched “Amazon Aware” in March, has been accused of “greenwashing on a grotesque scale”.

The range, which includes 103 products was found to have 20 of its items wrapped in single-use plastic, despite several of the products being delivered in the same box, The Telegraph reported.


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Amazon Aware was launched to offer “conscious” and “more-sustainable” choices to customers.

“We are committed to creating programs that contribute toward a more sustainable future,” Amazon Private Brands vice president, Matt Taddy said.

The plastic used in the range can only be recycled at large supermarkets and the 20 products which were ordered by The Telegraph were delivered in large boxes filled with excess brown paper.

Three pairs of socks costing £17.80 were made in Pakistan and arrived wrapped in clear plastic.

An Amazon spokesperson said: “We approached Amazon Aware with two goals in mind, to give millions of customers access to everyday essentials across apparel, home, beauty and more, which also have third-party certifications from our Climate Pledge Friendly program and to build knowledge, materials and other innovations that improve the products sold in our stores.”

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