The e-commerce giant Amazon is launching a program aimed at young European companies entering the market for sustainable products, which are increasingly popular with consumers.
Amazon announced on Monday, January 31, the launch of a tailor-made 12-week program whose mission will be to support young start-ups which design sustainable products and which are planning rapid development. Baptized ” Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator », the initiative will be carried out in partnership with EIT Climate-KIC, considered as the largest European ecosystem around issues relating to climate change, whose objective is to ultimately build a zero-carbon economy through innovation.
Amazon wants to support tomorrow’s sustainable entrepreneurs in Europe
To justify this initiative, Amazon explains that it is responding to the growing expectations of customers, who have purchased more than twice as many sustainable, certified products. Climate Pledge Friendlyin January 2022 than in January 2021 in Europe (including the United Kingdom).
Applications for this accelerator program are already open. They are intended for start-ups established in Europe and more particularly those which are currently in the start-up phase, driven by the ambition to create more sustainable products. ” The founders must have the ambition to rely on e-commerce to boost the growth of their products and commit to creating and developing their business while taking into account its environmental impact. “Warns the firm of Jeff Bezos. The deadline for submitting applications has been set for March 25, 2022, and the selected start-ups will be notified in the spring.
To designate the winning start-ups, Amazon will use the Impact Forecast tool, dedicated to quantifying the climate impact of a project or company, to precisely measure the potential impact of the products of the selected start-ups on the weather. The interest of the project is to present to the public products that are much more eco-responsible than those sold today, both in terms of materials and raw materials or recycling.
Funding assistance and better visibility
The Amazon Launchpad Sustainability Accelerator is intended to help successful companies overcome the hurdles that a sustainable society faces. The 12-week program will therefore offer workshops led by experts, mentoring, tailor-made training, access to a vast network of companies and even offices, made available directly at the company’s headquarters. ‘Amazon in London.
All these advantages will be accompanied by a subsidy of 12,000 euros (which is not the subject of an equity investment on the part of Amazon, an important detail), to which must be added 25,000 dollars of ” AWS Activate Credits (which will help start-ups to better start their activity), and 6,000 euros also in advertising credits. The icing on the cake, the selected companies will be highlighted on the Amazon Launchpad store, and will get a one-year free account management.
In short, Amazon intends to contribute to the development of an ecosystem around more sustainable products by providing the support, funding and visibility that start-ups in the sector need today. And let’s not just see it as a communication operation: Amazon is aware of the trend among consumers, more and more sensitive to the world of sustainable products, or products made in France.
Source: press release
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