Amazon Sustainability Summit FAQ

What is the event?

Amazon will hold the Amazon Sustainability Summit on March 1st, 2022. This opportunity will be hosted virtually on the ECRM Connect Platform and in partnership with RangeMe.

You can learn more about Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program here, with a full list of eligible certifications here, including:

-    Compact By Design: Products have less air, water, or packaging per use, which reduces the carbon footprint of shipping.

-    Bluesign: Products are responsibly manufactured by using safer chemicals and fewer resources, including less energy, in production.

-    Carbonfree Certified: Determines the carbon footprint of the product and associated carbon emissions are offset with reduced projections.

-    ENERGY STAR Most Efficient: Recognizes the best of ENERGY STAR certified products with highest efficiency and maximum carbon reductions.

-  Forest Stewardship Council: Products support responsible forestry, helping keep forests healthy for future generations.

-  And more than 20 other sustainability certifications that preserve the natural world!

Amazon is looking for suppliers who can either provide sustainable products through national brands, Amazon-exclusive brands, or private brands; see below for a list of Amazon teams that will hold meetings with suppliers at the summit.

What to Know Before You Apply:

1. Is Amazon seeking product families during the Amazon Sustainability Summit?

• Amazon is seeking products that are sustainability-focused across all categories within the consumables (baby, beauty, grocery, health & personal care, luxury beauty, personal care appliances, pet food & litter), hardlines (furniture, home, home improvement, kitchen, pets, tools, toys, wireless, PC, consumer electronics, office), and softlines (apparel, shoes, jewelry, luggage) spaces.

2. Does my product need to be manufactured before I submit my survey?

•   It is not a requirement for your product to be manufactured before submitting, although it is preferred.

3. Is there a fee to apply?

•   There is no fee to submit your survey.

4. Does my product need to meet one of the Climate Pledge Friendly certifications to be considered?

•   While Amazon prefers suppliers who already meet or can meet one of the external certifications included in Climate Pledge Friendly (including their own certification Compact by Design), Amazon is also interested in hearing from suppliers with sustainability-focused certifications or attributes that are not currently part of Climate Pledge Friendly.

5. May I speak with an Amazon team member to discuss my product?

•   Upon review of your survey submission, you will receive an approval or denial to meet with an Amazon team member during the summit by 2/11/2022.

6. What different Amazon teams will be attending the Amazon Sustainability Summit?

• Recruiting team	Recruiting team description
  Amazon Accelerator	Amazon Accelerator enables manufacturers to launch brands and innovative products exclusively on Amazon and provides a path to become an Amazon Private Brand supplier; this program recruits for both Vendor Central and Seller Central.
  Amazon Private Brands	The Amazon Private Brands team partners with suppliers to develop high quality products to increase our owned-brands portfolio; this program recruits only for Vendor Central.
  Climate Pledge Friendly Accelerator	Climate Pledge Friendly Accelerator (CPFA) team recruits and develops sellers that offer sustainable selection that qualify for the Climate Pledge Friendly program and acts as the single threaded owner for NSS; this program recruits only for Seller Central.
  Amazon Direct Sales	The Amazon Direct Sales team is focusing on meeting with any new brands not currently actively selling on Amazon via seller or vendor central; this program recruits only for Seller Central.
  Amazon Launchpad	Amazon Launchpad is a supplemental program designed to jumpstart and accelerate new and existing sellers that offer innovate and differentiated products; this program recruits only for Seller Central.

Completing and Submitting your Application

7. Can I submit my product via email, fax, or US Mail?

•   All product survey submissions must be completed electronically through RangeMe http://www.rangeme.com/amazonsustainability 

8. Where do I ship my samples?

•   After reviewing your survey submission, an Amazon team member may reach out with sample requests and provide instructions.

9. Do you have any tips on completing my survey?

•   Make sure to provide a complete and accurate description of your product and product line.
•   Make sure to complete the entire survey. Incomplete survey submissions may not be considered.
•   Additionally, we want to hear your story, so be sure to fill out your brand profile so that Amazon team members can learn more about your brand.

10. Can I save a partially completed survey to edit later?

•   If you exit your partially completed application, you will be able to edit your draft and complete your entry under the “My Submissions” tab of your submission page later. You will not be able to make any edits to your application once it has been submitted.

11. Can I change my application after I submit it?

•   You are not able to edit any answers to survey questions. Updates to your RangeMe profile will be reflected after the survey submission is complete. We recommend ensuring your details are accurate and complete before submitting.

12. Which web browser should I use?

•   RangeMe recommends using the most current version of Google Chrome for an optimal experience.

After You Apply:

13. How do I know if my survey was successfully submitted?

•   You will receive an automated email from the product submission website confirming receipt of your application. Please check your spam/junk folder as the email is sometimes caught there.

14. How long will it take to receive a response from Amazon regarding my survey application? What are the next steps?

•   Amazon team members will begin reviewing submissions on 1/24; communication will go out to all suppliers by 2/11 regarding their decisions to meet once all submissions have been reviewed.
•   If Amazon is not interested in pursuing your product further, you will receive an automated email via RangeMe alerting you of the status update.

15. Can I resubmit a product that was rejected by Amazon team members in the past at an ECRM event?

•   Yes! We encourage all suppliers that are sustainability-focused to continue to engage with us at future ECRM events.