Il gigante del commercio online ha presentato Amazon Aware, un nuovo brand sostenibile di moda, casa e bellezza conveniente e a emissioni zero. “I clienti vogliono fare acquisti in modo più consapevole; vogliamo renderlo più facile”, spiegano sul sito. “Amazon Aware è una linea essenziale per l’abbigliamento quotidiano, la casa, la bellezza e altro ancora, il tutto con certificazioni di terze parti presenti nel nostro programma Climate Pledge Friendly”.

Sostenibile perché? I prodotti sono certificati come “a emissioni zero”. Climate Partner, un’azienda conforme al protocollo GHG (Greenhouse Gas), calcola l’impronta di carbonio considerando le emissioni lungo il ciclo di vita del prodotto.

A supporto dell’impegno nella sostenibilità, per allontanare sospetti di greenwashing, 32 sono le certificazioni che Amazon sfodera:

• Blusign
• Carbon Free
• Carbon Neutral
• Carbon Trust
• Carbon Neutral by SCSCertified Animal Welfare Approved
• Climate neutral by ClimatePartner
• Compact by Design
• Cradle to Cradle Certified
• ECOLOGO
• ENERGY STAR
• EPEAT
• EWG Verified
• Fairtrade International
• Fair for Life
• The Forest Stewardship Council
• GOTS
• Global Recycled Standard
• Green Seal
• Higg Index Materials
• Made in Green by Oeko-Tex
• MADE SAFE
• Organic Content Standard 100
• Organic Content Standard Blended Rainforest Alliance’s
• Recycled Claim Standard 100
• Recycled Claim Standard Blended
• Reducing CO2
• Regenerative Organic Certified
• Responsible Wool Standard
• U.S. EPA Safer Choice
• USDA Organic

L’offerta

È possibile selezionare abbigliamento uomo/donna, prodotti per corpo e capelli, prodotti per la casa, articoli per la camera da letto e per il bagno, capi basic, prodotti biologici o in materiale riciclato come la giacca in poliestere o i rotoli di carta da cucina.

La sezione moda include abiti, capispalla, loungewear e capi basic per tutti i giorni nelle taglie dalla XXS alla 7XL. I prezzi variano in base alla taglia, per esempio la giacca in poliestere riciclato costa tra i 32 e i 55 euro, il top a collo alto 15-24 euro, la camicia multitasche 27-37 euro, i jeans 39-43 euro, la felpa 28-37 euro. Al momento sono presenti 22 articoli di abbigliamento donna e 12 da uomo.

Tutti i capi sono al di sotto di 55 euro, la maggior parte hanno un prezzo tra i 20 e i 40 euro.

Impegno vero o greenwashing?

È l’interrogativo che può sorgere, perché restano:

• la questione del trattamento dei propri lavoratori
• la commercializzazione (e il consumo) in grandi numeri
• e tutto il mare dei prodotti venduti sulla piattaforma. Amazon Aware è una goccia.

Abbiamo chiesto, tramite il nostro canale Instagram, cosa ne pensano i lettori, sensibili alle tematiche di sostenibilità. Leggi cosa ci ha risposto chi lavora per un consumo più responsabile.

Benedetta, co-fondatrice dell’e-commerce sostenibile WHATaECO:  “Non acquisterei mai un prodotto di Amazon Aware. Forse sembro radicale, ma è la stessa ragione per cui non mangerei un panino vegano da Burger King o non acquisterei uno shampoo solido al supermercato. Ci sono multinazionali che si sono arricchite per anni (e continuano a farlo), a spese di lavoratori, ambiente e sana crescita del mercato. Se per molti so che queste azioni rappresentano “un passo avanti”, un “modo per lanciare il messaggio a più persone”, per me è solo greenwashing, che cerca di raccogliere consenso e denaro anche da quella parte di consumatori che mai acquisterebbero da Amazon o Burger King. Ci sono tante realtà che nascono davvero sui valori di etica e sostenibilità. Personalmente credo fortemente nel supportare queste e non cadere nella green trap dei colossi del consumismo“.

Manuela di Officina Sartoriale Creativa: “Credo che stiano cercando di accaparrarsi quella fetta di mercato che ancora non ha comprato nulla da Amazon e che non era intenzionata a farlo. Non comprerò da Amazon Aware. Ci sono tante realtà che basano tutta la loro visione e missione a questo scopo, credo che Amazon non ne debba fare parte. Così facendo pare che Amazon sdogani pure questo poter fare sostenibile da parte di chiunque, con i soldi pagando fior di professionisti che fanno le campagne ad hoc. Penalizza i piccoli, che investono davvero tutto il loro tempo, il loro lavoro per dare un valore vero e ci mettono la faccia. Amazon no, ci mette solo i soldi e questo diventa l’ennesima, perdonatemi il francesismo, presa per il culo”.

Valeria di Valeria Minussi Art: “Ho qualche dubbio che sia veramente sostenibile, solo per il fatto che sia raggiungibile in ogni angolo del mondo non lo è più. Difficile pensare a una multinazionale sostenibile. Possono mettere tutte le etichette del mondo, ma non credo che lo sia nel modo che io intendo, cioè quasi a chilometri zero oppure essere per pochi e a un prezzo giusto. Non che mi vendi un articolo per la casa a 1 € o una maglia a 10 €! Per non parlare dei materiali e delle lavorazioni, che molto probabilmente non saranno così ecologiche come dicono. Nel mio lavoro, riciclo i materiali per creare arte e non è sempre semplice. Sto cercando di essere il più sostenibile possibile, ma continuo a scontrarmi con il possibile e il fattibile per mantenere la mia filosofia sul riciclo. Immagino che per una grande multinazionale il problema non si pone come qualcosa da sostenere”.

Debora di Atelier Biologico: “Dell’ultimo lancio di Amazon penso lo stesso di tutti gli altri brand che si spacciano per sostenibili ma poi intanto… Sai che gioia vestire tutti uguali? Sì, perché quando anche l’ultimo piccolo brand chiuderà sarà questa la fine che faremo. E poi come mi arriva questo capo? Via nave, aereo o tir? Chi lo produce? Siamo certi che siano trattati con ottime condizioni economiche e sanitarie? Senza tralasciare che per avere prezzi così bassi qualcosa non torna. Mi chiedo se producono solo i capi ordinati. Per me lascia il tempo che trova, ma il problema è che il resto del mondo ci crederà. Piano piano dipenderemo tutti da Amazon, c’è anche Amazon Fresh che sostituisce i supermercati”.

Facendo una ricerca in rete, gli articoli dei media raccontano generalmente in modo positivo la notizia del lancio di Amazon Aware, accogliendo favorevolmente l’introduzione del nuovo brand, senz’ombra di riferimento a greenwashing.

Abbiamo lanciato un sondaggio nelle storie di Instagram per capire cosa ne pensa l’audience: “Acquisterai su Amazon Aware?”. Il 92% ha risposto che non lo farà. Le 32 certificazioni non sembrano assicurare l’esenzione dal sospetto di greenwashing, in particolar modo tra persone più attente a un consumo sostenibile e responsabile.

Funzionerà invece con chi è più nuovo nel mondo della sostenibilità o si avvicina per la prima volta? Amazon testa le novità prima di decidere se ampliare un’area di business. Non esiterà probabilmente a cambiare rotta se questo nuovo brand non mostrerà risultati positivi e potenziale di sviluppo, mentre continuerà se prenderà piede.

Foto: da Amazon Aware

Condividi la notizia su Instagram! Clicca qui

Since we like to explain well and make known the partners we work with, we asked Benedetta and Caterina a few questions, to find out what it is, what it offers and how to join the WHATaECO project.

Hi Benedetta, hi Caterina, how did you meet? How was your collaboration born?

“Modena is not a metropolis and we have known each other since we were girls. We also attended the University of Law together, but it is sustainability that has united us every day in the WHATaECO project. It all started from an exchange of views on the difficulty of finding sustainable alternatives to products of daily use. Add a pinch of entrepreneurial spirit and the refusal of a career as a lawyer and WHATaECO was born!”.

Why did you decide to start this project? What made you take the first step?

“Awareness, necessity and courage. We were looking for a low-impact site that promotes sustainable alternatives of different product categories, and we have not found it. More and more people are buying online and greenwashing is rampant, so we have studied the solutions to create an online platform that meets the asks but did it in a sustainable way. WHATaECO is in fact powered by clean energy, we work in dropshipping to halve transport and everything we do is compensated. Even the packaging is sustainable: reused as much as possible, plastic-free and sealed with our paper tape”.

What is your goal?

“We believe in a world that enhances and grows thanks to sustainable entrepreneurship. Our mission is to promote sustainability by providing easy access to goods that are daily needed without having a negative impact on the planet. We currently work with over 130 Italian and foreign brands that share the our vision but there are new products online every week. There are many medium and long term goals that we wish to achieve but we don’t want to spoil you too much!”.

How do you select the brands on the website?

“By materials, corporate values and what the product or service conveys. We offer a catalog of selected brands on the European territory that share our mission, create ethical employment and are part of the virtuous business network that we aspire to be able to help to see a change in the world of commerce. All our products are fair trade, cruelty-free, durable or compostable if disposable and designed to have a lower impact on the environment “.

What products do the brands you choose offer? What can we find on WHATaECO?

“A little bit of everything! The categories currently are Clothing, Cosmetics, Home, Baby and Leisure but the catalog is always growing and we are very proud to have also launched the online courses and experiences category, that we would soon like to expand with sustainable tourism projects. Based on the outcome of the online crowdfunding campaign, which will close in September, we hope to also open the category dedicated to food and drinks!”.

You have started a crowdfunding campaign, can you briefly tell us what it consists of and how we can participate?

“It is a huge project in progress, and there are 68 days to go (Ed: now there are less than 60 days!) to close the campaign. We are thrilled with the feedback we have received, because we have managed to raise over 50,000 euros in a couple of weeks, reaching and exceeding the inseparable threshold of the minimum target. We have many ambitious goals to be able to support our brand partners and we sincerely hope to be able to reach the maximum target! You can invest until the end of the summer with a minimum share of 250 euros by becoming a full member of WHATaECO! For those wishing to invest more than 1,000 euros, you will also get free shipping costs on the site for 1 year”.

What was the hardest part of this project?

“We face difficulties on a daily basis. Managing a business for women under 30 in Italy is not easy. Furthermore, being a new brand, the greatest effort is to make ourselves known, to convey to our community that we are Benedetta and Caterina, young, easy-going but with clear ideas: we nurture the ambition to be able to give value to ethical and sustainable businesses. because a different and virtuous economy is possible!”.

It doesn’t seem to be easy, but you are doing very well! And the best part of the project?

“To have the opportunity to meet (digitally and physically) wonderful people. Every day we relate to brands and partners who have put everything into play for a good cause, content creators who carry out a magnificent work of dissemination on the issues of sustainability and social justice with admirable dedication, and conscious consumers who contact us, interact and occasionally write us ‘Finally WHATaECO!’ “.

What aspects of sustainability do you pay attention to in the project?

“We take into consideration procurement, production chain, materials used, durability and disposal. We ask brands many questions (and sometimes their employees too!) to understand their approach in every aspects. To make sure they share and apply our values, we always ask to sign our code of ethics”.

I’m curious: how did you start your zero waste path?

Caterina: “I think it all started when I got into gardening. Taking care of the plants, sowing seeds, watering the summer evenings is one of the things I love most to do in my free time. This closeness to nature has opened my eyes: how lucky are we to be surrounded by so much beauty? How small and passing are we compared to a tree or a bulb that every year gives us a wonderful flower? So I started thinking about the impact of my daily actions, I started to inform myself, to study and to act, and .. I never stopped!”.

Benedetta: “I was the emblem of superficiality when it came to purchases. I led a radically different lifestyle from what I try to pursue today and I have to be honest: I was more carefree. The ‘Zero waste wanna be’ approach leads you to constantly ask yourself questions, to question everything and often have difficulty finding an alternative. Sometimes it is frustrating to feel like a fish out of water or not being able to perfectly embody your ideals, but I would never go back, and do my best every day to improve”.

What do you recommend to those who want to start this journey?

“Think before you do anything. And think for yourself. We do not want to let consumers fall into the trap of ecological consumerism. We encourage consumers to choose WHATaECO when they need to replace something. We do not need bamboo cutlery to be sustainable, but to think before acting and take into account the needs and circumstances of the present moment. It is not philosophy: before having an aperitif, we think and order the drink without a straw. Refusing, very often, is the first step in starting a zero waste lifestyle“.

Thanks Benedetta and Caterina! We follow your crowfunding campaign and we are happy to be present on WHATaECO!

Here you can find WHATaECO:

Site
Instagram
Equity crowdfunding campaign

And here, our course!

Foto: WHATaECO

What kind of brands do you feature? How many are there?

“Our platform features more than 60 brands with different values: vegan (PETA too), fairtrade, recycled, upcycled, bio, organic, with many certified GOTS and Oeko-Tex brands. We are working to include second hand as well”.

To be included, do the brands have to match certain criteria? If yes, which are they?

“We only accept sustainable and ethical fashion brands that offer fair wages and working conditions, have transparent manufacturing and are free from animal cruelty”.

The criteria, i.e. the characteristics of the products offered, are:

• Sustainable
• Vegan
• Organic
• Natural materials
• Recycled or up-cycled
• Economic empowerment – Fairtrade
• Handmade
• Artisan craft
• Charity or Second Hand (work in progress)
• Eco certified
• Local production

How many aspects  have to be satisfied to be part of Eco Fashion Labels?

“Of course the more, the better. One of our goals, as a marketplace, is to be a platform and a showcase for small emerging brands, so it happens to accept brands with only one value of those. Moreover, some values can’t coexist: if a brand makes recycled real leather accessories, it can’t be vegan too. Before accepting a brand we have a thorough application process, in collaboration with the brand itself, to check if they really are sustainable. We look at their certificates (Gots, Fairtrade, Oeko-Tex, Peta etc) but also at their materials, which have to be sustainable (organic cotton, Tencel, Modal, recycled etc)”.

Where do the brands come from (where are they located)? Worldwide?

“We mainly work with European brands, but we also have brands in Japan or India. We don’t exclude anyone, but it’s critical to support local buying. This is done with localization tools as well”.

How does the platform work (for clients and for brands)?

“Clients can use the platform as any e-commerce site. All items are categorized by genre, and you can browse by label and country too. We have a Loyalty Program for users to gain points and get special discounts. Brands can upload items and products with their images and descriptions, with full control on how they want to look. There are no fixed costs for being on Eco Fashion Labels”.

Among the readers of Dress ECOde there are also many people who carry on an activity caring for sustainability issues. If they are interested in participating, what should they do?

“If you want to apply to start the onboarding process just visit the website page and fill in the form. If you want to tell us that you got the link here, just write it down in the comment section of the form! We also offer an Affiliation Program if you want to collaborate with us at this link “.

What are the benefits of the presence on Eco Fashion Labels

“Brands can get a worldwide selling channel, and grow their business by showing products to our large international audience, with no fixed fee. Our dedicated support team is always ready to help with managing anything on the platform. We will soon have some marketing packaging available, to get more visibility on our e-shop (featured on homepage, prioritized products in the categories) but also to be featured in paid ad campaigns on Facebook, Google and Instagram. There will also be the possibility to be featured on our blog and in dedicated newsletters. We are aiming to launch in April”.

How and where was the platform born?

“Eco Fashion Labels is a startup born in 2019, from the will of young people to do their part to change the fashion industry. Building a platform to put together all the eco fashion brands is the strategy to bring people closer to the brands and spread the lifestyle. The team is made by different nationalities passionate people who live in different countries and work together to make the most inclusive and diverse platform”.

How’s the presence of Italian brands?

“Italian brands presence is strongly increasing, and it currently includes men and women’s shirts, recycled accessories, beachwear and more”.

Ho visto che aderite a un progetto per piantare alberi (Pledgeling), di cosa si tratta? I saw you take part in a project for planting trees (Pledgeling), what this is about?

“Pledgeling is a program that helps businesses collect money for charity. For every order on the platform we donate 1 dollar to the Greenpeace fund, where for each dollar they plant one tree”.

What are other activities or aspects where you put your effort for a more sustainable fashion?

“We take care of packaging aspect, which is often underestimated. We try to give the most information about sizes and products so that useless returns and changes are avoided to cut extra traffic of packages”.

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