Amazon has unveiled its new carbon credit service, part of a broader initiative through its Sustainability Exchange platform, aiming to help partner companies accelerate their decarbonization efforts. The announcement was made on March 19, 2025, and already, six companies, including Flickr, have signed up for this innovative service that aligns with Amazon's ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
The launch of this service reflects a growing urgency among firms to address the looming threat of climate change while balancing their operational demands and sustainability objectives. In its communication, Amazon highlighted the role of high-quality carbon credits in funding essential reduction actions against greenhouse gases and as a mechanism for assessing the environmental impacts of business activities.
Producing high-quality carbon credits, however, presents several complexities. Businesses often struggle with ensuring the effectiveness of their carbon credit purchases and navigating the intricacies of verification standards. To facilitate this, Amazon plans to leverage its extensive resources to assist companies in meeting their climate commitments.
In recent years, the voluntary carbon market has faced scrutiny due to allegations of "greenwashing," where companies are accused of overstating their contributions toward carbon reduction. To counter these challenges, Amazon asserts it collaborates with independent third-party experts to rigorously monitor the quality of carbon credits, ensuring that their procurement processes are aligned with stringent verification practices that adapt to ongoing technological advancements.
The service is exclusively available to suppliers, business partners, and signatories of the Climate Pledge, an initiative launched in 2019 by Amazon and Global Optimism to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Currently, over 550 companies have joined this pledge, which emphasizes comprehensive emission reductions encompassing scopes 1, 2, and 3 of their operations.
Key conditions for companies to qualify for Amazon's carbon credit service include setting a net-zero target by 2050, publicly measuring and disclosing their carbon emissions, and committing to strategies aligning with the latest climate science standards.
Moving forward, Amazon’s service aims to primarily spotlight nature-based carbon credits, which focus on reducing deforestation and restoring forests. Although the company might later expand to include carbon credits originating from technological innovations in carbon removal, all credits secured through Amazon will be retired by the company, further solidifying its sustainability leadership.
Apart from industry efforts, Indigenous communities also play a critical role in the fight against deforestation, particularly in the Amazon rainforest. For leaders like Erick Alfredo Valerio Benavides of the Iskonawa People, environmental advocacy ties closely to cultural preservation. As he states, “When a language dies, we don’t just lose words. We lose knowledge, stories and our connection to the forest.” This poignant remark underscores the impact of environmental degradation on Indigenous communities and their cultures.
The interconnectedness between deforestation and Indigenous livelihoods is highlighted by alarming trends in Peru where wood extraction, mining activities, and agricultural expansion are driving widespread forest loss—many times occurring on Indigenous lands. These challenges push community members into precarious land-use practices that exacerbate the existing deforestation crisis.
Nevertheless, initiatives such as REDD+ Indígena Amazónica (RIA) are empowering Indigenous communities. Through these frameworks, they are increasingly able to access funding and resources aimed at conserving, restoring, and sustainably managing their forests. Gabriel Labbate from UNEP emphasizes that, “Increasing finance for forests isn’t about paying communities to do nothing. This is about supporting them in the challenging but vital task of protecting the forest.”
Valerio Benavides and his community are co-managing the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve in Peru alongside other Indigenous settlements. Their concerted efforts have resulted in the restoration of degraded lands, the practice of agroforestry—wherein native species thrive alongside agricultural crops—and the safeguarding of over 400,000 hectares of rainforest. This initiative prevents approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is comparable to removing 40,000 cars from the roads.
As discussions intensify about climate action at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in November 2025, there is a palpable urgency for nations to raise their climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. UNEP's Labbate urges the world leaders to underscore their responsibility to protect the forests, asserting, “At COP30, world leaders must commit to stronger forest action and ensure that climate finance reaches Indigenous guardians of the forest.”
Both Amazon’s new carbon credit service and the ongoing efforts of Indigenous communities embody a promising trajectory toward greener practices and climate accountability. As stakeholders—from large corporations to small, resilient communities—collaborate toward significant climate goals, there remains hope that the Amazon, a crucial global resource, can be preserved for future generations.
