Amazon swells Climate Pledge ranks with Siemens, Best Buy, and others

Retailer Best Buy, engineering company McKinstry, and technology giant Siemens are among the latest crop of organisations to join The Climate Pledge initiative, committing to become net zero emissions organisations by 2040 at the latest.

The Pledge, co-founded by tech and retail powerhouse Amazon, sees signatories commit to meeting the global net zero emissions goal 10 years ahead of the 2050 target that was effectively established for industrialised nations by the Paris Agreement.

Those involved in the global initiative must also regularly measure and report on their greenhouse emissions, implement decarbonisation strategies in line with the Paris Agreement, and neutralise all remaining emissions with "quantifiable, real, permanent and socially-beneficial" offsets.

The latest wave of new signatories unveiled this week also include Spanish La Liga team Real Betis and European multinational Schneider Electric.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, welcomed the expansion of the initiative. "From hurricanes to forest fires, climate change is leading to very real, negative impacts to our daily lives even sooner than scientists expected," he said. "Every company has a role to play in fighting climate change, and we welcome these new Climate Pledge signatories who are stepping up and committing to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. They are showing important leadership in accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy to protect the planet for future generations."

Among actions being taken by the new signatories, Best Buy said it aims to reduce emissions in its operations by 75 per cent by 2030, saving the company $5bn on utility costs in the process, and help its customers reduce product-related emissions by 20 per cent.

"We are a purposeful, values-driven company, with a long history of environmental work that includes meaningfully reducing our carbon footprint and helping our customers do the same," said Corie Barry, chief executive of Best Buy.

Meanwhile, Real Betis said it is installing a "smart illumination system" in its 60,000-capacity Estadio Benito Villamarín stadium and is attempting to reduce its reliance on single-use plastic.

The announcement comes as the Fairtrade International certification scheme this week announced it is participating in Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program.

The move means US customers will now see the Climate Pledge Friendly badge on more than 25,000 products, making it easier to identify which products are helping to preserve the natural world, such as through efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of shipments to customers.

Amazon said it evaluated "hundreds of external sustainability certifications" and chose Fairtrade due to the on-the-ground sustainable farming advice it offers and its long-standing work to secure better incomes for smallhold farmers around the world.

Darío Soto Abril, chief executive of Fairtrade International said: "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".

However, Amazon also faced criticism from some environmental activists this week, after it was reported that the $10bn Bezos Earth Fund that was launched by the company's founder earlier this year is yet to award a single grant, despite initial claims it would start issuing grants this summer.