Amazon's new plan will give out money! Sellers: What's the use of this?

Amazon UK announced on March 1 that it will provide £30,000 in grants and credits to startups focusing on sustainability.

Amazon , in partnership with EIT Climate-KIC (European Environmental Platform) , is launching the Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator: a 12-week program for early-stage startups that are developing more sustainable products and want to grow quickly.

Amazon mentioned that customers are increasingly interested in sustainable shopping methods. In its UK and EU sites , sales of climate-friendly products more than doubled in January 2022 compared with the same period last year .

The purpose of Amazon's launch of this program is to support founders in starting and expanding sustainable businesses, making it easier for customers to live and shop in a more sustainable way.

Successful candidates will receive financial support, including a £10,000 equity-free grant , $25,000 worth of AWS Activate credits, and £ 5,000 of Amazon advertising sponsorship credits. Businesses that choose to join Amazon Launchpad will also be showcased in the store and will receive expert guidance and free account management.

At the same time, Amazon reminded that the program is most suitable for brand owners who are registered in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland and are in the early stages of operation . Applications are open until March 25, 2022, and the list of successful candidates will be announced in the spring.

It is of great significance for Amazon to provide financial assistance to start-ups, promote sustainable development and protect the environment. However, some sellers commented, "What's the point? What can I gain?"

"This sounds like another attempt by Amazon to look 'green' while actually doing very little," said seller Blackadder. "It would make more sense for Amazon to stop using oversized boxes for shipping small items."

Blackadder also mentioned that " it would also help if Amazon stopped encouraging customers to return items and when customers return items they should be asked to return the original packaging of the item. Amazon creates a huge amount of waste by sending items to landfill every year. "

Seller Wonderman_Tools also pointed out that "if Amazon paid taxes directly in the UK instead of selling in the UK through Luxembourg, the UK government might have more funds to invest in energy conservation and emission reduction in industries such as transportation, electricity and heating."

Amazon has been controversial over the years on topics such as environmental protection and sustainable development. It is undoubtedly a good thing for e-commerce giants to launch support policies, but perhaps what consumers really want to see is the changes it makes by leading by example.

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