Empowering Responsible Purchasing: How Amazon Business Supports B2B Success

Striking the right balance between profitability and sustainability has become a strategic imperative for manufacturers seeking long-term success in a changing business landscape.

Amazon Business has developed solutions that can help organizations drive progress on their sustainability goals and make smart business buying decisions that support their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts.

“Amazon Business is a B2B sales unit built upon the Amazon consumer experience. While individual consumers may have a sustainability focus, B2B organizations typically have more defined and stringent requirements,” says Anthony Jenkins, senior product manager of sustainability at Amazon Business. “We have developed various tools and features to enable these businesses to make more purposeful decisions.”

Simply put, Amazon Business combines a wide array of product choices with built-for-business features that simplify business buying, making it easier for organizations and administrators to define, meet, and proactively measure progress toward your responsible purchasing goals.

The Amazon Approach To Responsible Purchasing

Amazon Business makes it easier for users to purchase from certified small, diverse, woman-owned, and local businesses while streamlining the procurement of products with sustainability certifications. The company has trusted third-party certifications as well as its own certifications. Pre-owned certified products, for example, are inspected, cleaned, and repaired to excellent functional standards, extending their life and reducing e-waste and raw material extraction. The Pre-owned certified products are labeled as Climate Pledge Friendly in the store.

“Product circularity isn’t a silver bullet or a magic formula, but through innovation and strategic alignment with the right customers, there are ways we can make a significant impact,” says Jenkins. “The aim of the Pre-owned certified initiative is to promote the reuse of products, prolong their lifecycles, and contribute to sustainability efforts.”

When it comes to delivery, buyers can also select Frustration Free Packaging for a more sustainable alternative with packaging made of recyclable packaging materials, which is right-sized, reduces damages, and is easier to open. This and other packaging reduction programs have helped Amazon avoid over 2 million tons of packaging waste since 2015.

The use of fully recyclable packing materials is another key focus of the FFP program. In one instance, Amazon collaborated with Procter & Gamble to transform the iconic orange Tide laundry detergent bottles into a totally new format. This led to the creation of the Tide Eco Box that ships in its container and then transforms into a detergent dispenser. It uses 60 percent less plastic than its bottle counterpart and 30 percent less water while weighing four pounds less.

Alongside this, Amazon Business also supports order consolidation. For instance, Amazon Business Prime members can opt to consolidate eligible orders, say, on Mondays and Thursdays. This approach reduces the number of vehicles on the road and minimizes daily delivery frequencies. The company also supports palletized deliveries on eligible large shipments, helping reduce the total number of truck trips required.

Customer Needs Are The Guiding Light

Amazon Business always places a strong emphasis on listening to customers.

“Our sales teams actively engage with customers, and when they identify specific needs, they log the details as the voice of customer requests,” says Jenkins. “We regularly review these requests and shape our roadmap accordingly. Our priority is to identify opportunities and solve problems for our customers.”

Amazon Business prioritizes tools and features that cater to a wide range of use cases, which helps ensure more versatile and customer-centric solutions. For example, if customers want to purchase products like computer monitors or laptops, they can prefer products with desired attributes, like energy star rating, through Buying Policies and Approval Workflows. Similarly, prioritizing certified organic products through Guided Buying (a Business Prime Feature) can be important for those purchasing break room snacks.

“Environmental responsibility is more than just a one-and-done process. Each business has different priorities to consider as they work toward their sustainability goals, and only they can establish their internal matrix of sustainability and price availability. Amazon Business, in turn, has the granularity to address diverse requirements,” says Jenkins.

Amazon Business offers companies the ability to find products with sustainability certifications, set purchasing preferences and guidelines, and access proactive reporting to manage and scale responsible purchasing programs. This enables effective communication, transparency, and progress tracking, which are essential for manufacturers looking to convey their sustainability efforts to customers and stakeholders.

Amazon Business empowers businesses with the support and the tools they need to get started with responsible purchasing. Learn more about how Amazon Business can support your sustainability goals through smart business buying.

Originally published on Manufacturing Technology Insights.