Investors Send Strong Third-Year Vote at Amazon Amidst New Plastic Action by Walmart
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT: Stefanie Spear, sspear@asyousow.org, 216-387-1609
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA—JUNE 8, 2023—For the third year in a row, nearly one-third of Amazon shareholders supported an As You Sow shareholder proposal asking the company to set a plastic packaging reduction goal. At the same time, competitor Walmart has committed to phase out use of plastic mailers for U.S. online commerce, putting Walmart even farther ahead of Amazon in actions to curtail plastic waste.
Thirty-two percent of shareholders supported the Amazon proposal at the company’s recent annual meeting, complementing a 49% vote last year and 35% vote in 2021. The company made incremental progress by releasing information about how much plastic packaging it uses last December, but has not agreed to set a plastic packaging reduction goal, putting it behind at least 7 other consumer goods companies including Walmart and Target who established virgin plastic reduction goals after engagement with As You Sow.
With the recent commitment by Walmart to phase out use of 65 million plastic mailers in the U.S. later this year, representing 2,000 annual tons of plastic, Amazon lags Walmart by not setting a goal to cut plastic packaging use overall and continuing to use plastic mailers. The mailers cannot be recycled in nearly all curbside collection systems and most end up discarded in landfills.
“We are pleased that our message to Amazon to match its peers and set an aggressive plastic packaging reduction goal continues to be supported by a large number of shareholders,” said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of As You Sow. “We will continue to press the company to step up and match its peers through committing to a significant reduction in plastic use.”
Plastic pollution is a continuing international environmental crisis, drawing top of mind attention from governments and citizens. Last week, negotiators from around the globe gathered in Paris to advance a binding global treaty to reduce plastic pollution.
The company provides only piecemeal disclosures about its use of plastic and has declined to commit to setting a specific plastic reduction goal. Last year, Amazon released limited data about its plastic use, but still does not provide an overall baseline amount of plastic used throughout its platform. The company disputes the findings of environmental group Oceana, which has published separately generated estimates of how much plastic the company uses, but Amazon has resisted for years providing specific metrics to counter the Oceana data and allow investors to accurately assess its progress.
“We call on Amazon to provide comprehensive year-upon-year information about plastics used throughout its platform,” said MacKerron.
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As You Sow is the nation’s leading shareholder advocacy nonprofit, with a 30-year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility and advancing values-aligned investing. Its issue areas include climate change, ocean plastics, pesticides, racial justice, workplace diversity, and executive compensation. Click here for As You Sow’s shareholder resolution tracker.