Coalition to ‘educate’ students on Amazon’s ‘Pollute for Profit’ business model

SEATTLE (Traditional Puget Sound Salish and Duwamish Lands) — As Amazon continues its aggressive recruitment efforts at the University of Washington (UW), a coalition of climate and labor activists – including Stand.earth, the University of Washington Institutional Climate Action, and Troublemakers, with support from Pacific Environment’s Ship It Zero campaign – hosted a satirical “Amazon Career Fair” outside the Husky Union Building (HUB) on Tuesday, April 8. The event sought to expose Amazon’s environmental and labor record, encouraging students to make informed career choices and hold the company accountable for its impacts on both people and the planet.

The event, which creatively mirrors Amazon’s real recruitment activities, comes as the company faces mounting criticism for its failure to address growing concerns about its climate emissions and treatment of workers. According to the Prime Polluter report published last year, Amazon’s greenhouse gas emissions from its U.S. shipping and delivery operations surged by 18% year-over-year, from 3.33 million metric tons in 2019 to an alarming 5.84 million metric tons of carbon in 2023. The report revealed more details about the company’s climate recklessness:

• Amazon’s air freight pollution increased 67% from 2019 to 2023, with aviation contributing over 42% of the carbon footprint for U.S. package deliveries.
• Amazon’s delivery van pollution increased over 190% due to continued reliance on fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
• Amazon’s heavy-duty truck pollution jumped 51%, making trucks the second-largest source of shipping-related pollution.
• Amazon’s marine shipping pollution rose 26%, highlighting Amazon’s reliance on pollutive international shipping routes.

These trends, coupled with Amazon’s reported labor violations, have fueled criticism of the company’s so-called “Climate Pledge.” Despite its promise to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, Amazon’s sustainability measures have been described by environmental advocates as woefully insufficient and misleading. The Prime Polluter report serves as a wake-up call for UW students mapping out their future career paths, emphasizing the urgent need for transformative action in the logistics sector.

“Amazon’s aggressive recruitment at universities like UW is part of its strategy to greenwash its reputation, despite being one of the worst polluters in logistics and shipping. Through this event, we’re challenging students to think critically about their career choices and demand real climate accountability from corporations,” said Josh Archer, Senior Global Corporate Campaigner at Stand.earth.

“Prospective employees have a right to know about Amazon’s broken climate promises. Amazon earned a ‘D’ on Ship It Zero’s Decarbonization Report Card in 2023, and the company has yet to course-correct. Frontline communities worldwide are suffering from fossil-fuel pollution while the company drags its feet. Amazon must turn the ship around — not just for the health of portside communities, but for the workers and future employees who rightfully expect better from corporations,” said Jonathan Butler (they/them), Pacific Environment’s Climate Campaign Manager for Corporate and lead representative of the Ship It Zero campaign.

The mock career fair included:

• Activists dressed as Amazon recruiters, sarcastically promoting the company’s polluting practices and labor violations.
• Banners with slogans like “Prime Polluter” and “Don’t Work for Amazon,” drawing attention to the company’s troubling environmental and social record.
• Pocket-sized handouts listing key statistics from the Prime Polluter report and reasons to avoid Amazon as an employer.

The event’s organizers also highlight Amazon’s labor practices, including allegations of union-busting, unsafe working conditions, and the exploitation of workers in its warehouses and delivery operations. By linking environmental justice with labor rights, the coalition aims to demonstrate the intersectional impact of Amazon’s business practices.

“Amazon’s ‘Climate Pledge’ is nothing more than greenwashing. The company’s growing emissions, particularly from air freight and delivery vans, paint a stark picture of corporate negligence. Meanwhile, Amazon’s warehouse workers and delivery drivers face relentless pressure and hazardous conditions. This event is about exposing the true cost of Amazon’s business model,” said Archer.

“Amazon quietly ditched its more aggressive Shipment Zero initiative and rolled its broader goals into its ‘Climate Pledge.’ Time after time, Amazon chooses to go the wrong way on climate by choosing an easier and lengthier path to zero-emissions to the detriment of portside communities and its workers. It’s time for Amazon to be a climate leader and truly commit to decarbonizing its shipping sector,” said Butler.

Amazon has the market-shaping power and responsibility to lead the way in sustainable logistics and equitable labor practices. The event will challenge students to demand more from the companies they choose to work for, inspiring future leaders to prioritize sustainability, fairness, and accountability in their careers.

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ABOUT PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT
Pacific Environment confronts our most urgent environmental issues by connecting local and global movements, catalyzing policy change, and inspiring action for the benefit of people and our planet. Together, we promote a healthy climate, reduce pollution and conserve biodiversity for an equitable and thriving future.

ABOUT STAND.EARTH RESEARCH GROUP
Stand.earth Research Group (SRG) obtains crucial information to help build campaigns on critical issues. SRG specializes in chain of custody research, identifying and tracking raw materials as they move through complex supply chains, tracking environmental destruction and human rights violations to help hold corporate actors accountable and, ultimately, change corporate practices.

ABOUT SHIP IT ZERO

Ship It Zero is a climate and public health campaign to move the world’s largest retail companies to 100% zero-emission ocean shipping. We are pushing corporations to take responsibility for their ocean shipping pollution and lead the way to climate-friendly, clean-air shipping practices.