How to Get Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly Certified: A Step-by-Step Guide

What is Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly?

Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly is a product-level badge that appears on eligible products across Amazon's catalog. Products earn the badge by holding one or more of 60+ recognized third-party certifications, including ClimeCo Certified Products Program, EPA Safer Choice, USDA Organic, and COSMOS.

More than 2 million products across international Amazon marketplaces now carry the badge. Registered products have grown over 8,000% in five years.

The business case is concrete. Climate Pledge Friendly products see a +16.7% sales lift on average and a +10% lift in glance views within the first year of joining the program, with sales lifts as high as 28% in certain product categories. (Source: Proserpio et al., SSRN, 2024)

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What is the ClimeCo Certified Products Program?

The ClimeCo Certified Products Program is one of the fastest-growing carbon impact certification programs recognized by Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly. Run by ClimeCo — a global decarbonization solutions provider — the program certifies products based on a verified product carbon footprint (PCF), continuous PCF emissions reductions and annual carbon offsetting.

To earn a ClimeCo Certified Products Certification, a brand needs:

1. A third-party verified “cradle to grave” Product Lifecycle Assessment demonstrating a verified product carbon footprint (PCF) for each product unit being certified
2. A carbon emissions reduction plan outlining the company’s plans for reducing emissions associated with the individual product
3. Annual pre-purchase of carbon offsets through ClimeCo, based on total registered product sales

What is a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)?

A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) is a single-metric output from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the carbon emissions of a product expressed in kg CO₂e per unit. An LCA measures multiple environmental impact categories: carbon, water use, land use, biodiversity, ecotoxicity. A PCF takes the carbon number from that broader assessment and formats it for external use.

PCFs follow established standards including ISO 14067, the GHG Protocol Product Standard, and PACT v3, which makes them interoperable across retailer programs, corporate Scope 3 reporting, and certifications like ClimeCo Certified Product Program. Planet FWD builds both full LCAs and standalone PCFs. For Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly certification, a PCF is what's required.

A single verified PCF can serve multiple downstream uses beyond the Amazon badge: on-pack carbon labels, retailer programs, customer sustainability questionnaires, and can feed your Scope 3 Inventory. 

Further reading: What is a Product Carbon Footprint and how is it different from an LCA?

‍Further reading: PACT v3 conformant PCF data exchange

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How does Planet FWD work with ClimeCo to get brands certified?

Planet FWD is an official partner of ClimeCo for the ClimeCo Certified Products Program. Here's how the process works:

Step 1: Kickoff (1–2 weeks)

The brand and ClimeCo align on the scope of the ClimeCo Certified Product Program and agree to work together. Planet FWD is engaged as the LCA provider.

Step 2: Report Consolidation (1–4 weeks)‍

Planet FWD builds verified product LCAs for each product unit being certified. Planet FWD consolidates these into a single report with additional detail so that the applying brand can submit directly to ClimeCo.

Step 3: Report Review (1–2 weeks)

ClimeCo reviews the consolidated report. If additional data or clarifications are needed, ClimeCo sends them back to Planet FWD to update.

Step 4: Approval (1–2 weeks)

Once the report is approved, ClimeCo certifies the products as ClimeCo Certified and automatically registers them in Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program.

Step 5: Offsetting (1–2 weeks)

The brand offsets each product's carbon footprint through annual pre-purchase of carbon credits via ClimeCo, with semi-annual actual sales reporting based on total registered product sales.

‍Total timeline: 6–12 weeks from kickoff to certification.
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Why does the PCF need to be verified?

Certifications like ClimeCo Certified  for the Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly program require third-party verified carbon footprint data. Internal spreadsheets or spend-based estimates don't qualify.

• PACT v3 conformant
• ISO 14067 compliant
• GHG Protocol aligned
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That means the PCF data holds up to ClimeCo's review process and travels downstream to every other retailer program or reporting requirement that asks for the same underlying numbers.

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Which brands should pursue Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly certification?

Any brand selling products on Amazon, or interested in selling products on Amazon, can pursue the badge. The program spans 14 international marketplaces and covers virtually every product category.

The business case is strongest for brands where:

• Amazon is a significant sales channel
• Sustainability is a purchasing driver for your customer base
• You're already building carbon data for other programs (retail asks, investor data, Sephora Planet Aware, B Corp, SBTi) and want to activate it for Amazon
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If you've already invested in verified PCFs for another program, the incremental cost to add the ClimeCo certification is low. The data you already have does the heavy lifting.
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FAQs

Does Climate Pledge Friendly product badging only apply to Amazon.com?
No. The badge currently appears across all 14 international Amazon marketplaces where the program operates.

What is the difference between a PCF and an LCA?
A PCF measures one thing: greenhouse gas emissions, expressed in kg CO₂e per unit. It's a single-metric output from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A full LCA measures multiple environmental impact categories — carbon, water use, land use, biodiversity, ecotoxicity — and can extend to cradle-to-grave. For Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly certification, an LCA is what ClimeCo requires. Planet FWD builds both. 

Can I use the same PCF data for multiple uses?
Yes. An ISO 14067 compliant PCF built by Planet FWD can serve multiple downstream uses beyond the Amazon badge: on-pack carbon labels, retailer programs, customer sustainability questionnaires, and can feed your Scope 3 Inventory. 

How long does the certification process take?
6 to 12 weeks from kickoff to certification, depending on product complexity and data availability.

Do I need to offset 100% of my product's carbon footprint?
Yes. Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly certification requires offsetting the full carbon footprint of each product unit, based on total registered product sales.

What's the difference between Climate Pledge Friendly and the Climate Pledge?
The Climate Pledge is Amazon's corporate net-zero-by-2040 commitment. Climate Pledge Friendly is the product-level badge program open to third-party brands. They're separate programs.

Is Planet FWD an official ClimeCo partner?
Yes. Planet FWD is a vetted LCA provider partner for ClimeCo's Certified Product Program.

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Ready to get started?

If you're ready to pursue Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly certification, the fastest path is a 30-minute scoping call with our team. We'll map your current state, confirm which products to certify first, and walk you through the Planet FWD + ClimeCo process.

Book a call with Steven →

Want to learn more about ClimeCo's Certified Products program first? Visit ClimeCo.com

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