Amazon is launching a new donation program for third-party sellers in the US and UK.
Starting next month, the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Donations scheme will be the default option for independent sellers looking to dispose of excess or returned products stored in Amazon warehouses.
“We know getting products into the hands of those who need them transforms lives and strengthens local communities,” Alice Shobe, director of Amazon in the Community, said in a statement.
“We are delighted to extend this program to sellers who use our fulfillment services,” she added.
Items will be distributed in the US through Good360, which works with retailers to source products and distribute them through a network of nonprofits.
In the UK, Amazon is teaming with charities like Newlife, Salvation Army, and Barnardo’s.
“At Amazon, the vast majority of returned products are resold to other customers or liquidators, returned to suppliers, or donated to charitable organizations, depending on their condition,” a company spokesperson told CNBC.
Merchants can choose to opt out of the new donation service. Though it won’t do anything for their public image.
Recent reports suggest Amazon warehouses in Britain and France routinely trash unsold products: One facility allegedly sent 293,000 items to a local dump over a nine-month period.
“This program will reduce the number of products sent to landfills and instead help those in need,” according to an Amazon email announcement, published by CNBC.
FBA Donations is the company’s latest attempt to cut down on waste. It recently revealed new fines for sellers who ship products in oversized boxes.
Early this year, the firm announced a short-term goal to reach 50 percent zero carbon shipments by 2030.
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