Giving Compass' Take:

• Amazon has taken strides to reduce waste and fossil fuel use, but it has an opportunity to go far beyond those areas. 

• What should consumers expect and demand form Amazon in terms of corporate responsibility? How can other companies start and expand their corporate responsibility initiatives?  

• Find out how companies can address inequality and poverty.

Amazon’s “frustration-free” packaging is a great example of a sustainability initiative that comes from following the customer’s lead.

As of December 2017, Amazon’s sustainable packaging innovations have eliminated 215,000 tons of packaging material and avoided 360 million shipping boxes.

Amazon has also made strides in renewable energy, a material issue given the company’s expansive Amazon Web Services offering. Data centers are big business and big energy. The company explains, “Amazon Web Services has a long-term commitment to achieve 100% renewable energy usage for our global infrastructure footprint and is making good headway.”

The company says it is approximately 50% renewable powered, as of the end of 2017. These are significant achievements, although somewhat amorphous. Amazon does not disclose its total energy footprint, the definition of “infrastructure” in this case, or its plan for getting to the other half of that renewable energy footprint.

Transparency is the new black. With the company about to open a new headquarters and the resultant community impacts that second “Amazon City” will create, it’s a perfect time for the online supercenter to take the next step toward telling its CR story.

Read the full article on Amazon's corporate responsibility at TriplePundit