Understanding Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly Program
Understanding one of the most powerful sustainability retail programs in the market today.
Amazon’s Climate Pledge rewards brands for sustainability impact by connecting sustainability performance to marketplace visibility. For beauty brands, earning the Climate Pledge Friendly badge can build consumer trust, improve search rankings, and open new opportunities for growth. Read on to learn more about this program and if it’s right for your company.
What is the Climate Pledge?
Amazon co-founded The Climate Pledge in 2019, committing to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. To make that commitment tangible for shoppers and sellers, Amazon launched the Climate Pledge Friendly (CPF) program. The program is designed to help consumers easily identify products with verified sustainability claims.
What Does the “Climate Pledge Friendly” Badge Mean?
The Climate Pledge Friendly badge is a green leaf icon shown on Amazon product listings. It signals that a product meets one or more recognized sustainability certifications making it easier for consumers to find lower-impact options and for brands to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Skincare brand Kiehl’s has three Amazon CPF sustainability features from its Cradle to Cradle certification.
The program currently recognizes 50+ third-party certifications and a few Amazon-developed ones. Earning one of these certifications automatically qualifies products for the badge. Examples include:
Global Recycled Standard (GRS): validating recycled content and supply chain integrity
FSC Certified: ensuring responsible forest management and traceable wood or paper sourcing
Cradle to Cradle: advancing circular product design and safe material chemistry
Rainforest Alliance: verifying measured and offset carbon emissions
Fairtrade: promoting ethical labor practices and equitable trade
Amazon’s Compact by Design: recognizing optimized packaging and efficient shipping design
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly program recognizes 50+ third-party certifications as well as a few developed by Amazon itself.
How Do Products Qualify for the Badge?
For brands, eligibility depends on the product’s design, materials, and packaging. Here’s how to get started:
Choose a qualifying certification.
Select a relevant certification recognized by Amazon, such as Cradle to Cradle, Fairtrade, or CarbonNeutral.
Complete the certification process.
Work with the certifying body to verify your product’s materials, carbon footprint, or packaging design.
Submit certification details to Amazon.
Through Amazon’s Seller Central, provide certification credentials or work with your certifier to ensure visibility in Amazon’s system.
Verify badge display.
Once approved, the CPF leaf icon appears on your listing. If it doesn’t, contact Amazon Support for review.
Maintain compliance.
Keep certifications active and up-to-date as Amazon periodically verifies badge eligibility.
Why Does the Badge Matter for Beauty Brands?
Visibility drives sales.
Products with the CPF badge are featured in dedicated filters and “sustainability” search results, improving discoverability. Case in point: CPF-listed items reportedly see an average 12% sales uplift in their first year. Products in the Climate Pledge Friendly program also receive additional visibility across the platform with special search filters, featured placements, and recommendations.
Consumers trust verified claims.
The badge provides third-party validation as consumers increasingly look for credible sustainability proof. This external validation helps reduce friction in purchase decisions.
Retailers are raising the bar.
As Amazon creates sustainability requirements, CPF-aligned products may receive preferential treatment in algorithms, ad eligibility, and promotional placements.
It creates a practical sustainability roadmap.
Even smaller beauty brands can use CPF as a framework to improve packaging, reduce emissions, and strengthen supplier accountability.
How Can Beauty Brands Prepare for CPF Eligibility?
For beauty companies, Amazon’s Climate Pledge can be a tool to supercharge retail success on of the biggest e-commerce platforms. However, brands should carefully calculate the ROI of this program to ensure that they are maximizing the value while minimizing associated costs. Brands with no qualifying certifications may need to think more strategically about the investment required and brands that are not currently on Amazon should consider whether it is the appropriate platform for their products, audience, and marketing positioning.
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To learn more about how Source Beauty can help your brand prepare for Climate Pledge Friendly certification, strengthen sustainability claims, and build packaging and product strategies that boost marketplace visibility, you can contact us here. And to stay updated on the latest in sustainability, certifications, and supply chains, join the Source Beauty Download for quarterly digests.
