Amazon is the largest internet-based retailer in North America. Amazon started as a book seller but quickly expanded into other household items such as electronics, entertainment, furniture, home décor, beauty, and other retail items. Amazon sells goods directly to consumers and, in Canada, ships its products from warehouses across the country. In addition to direct sales, however, Amazon also offers its platform as a place where third-party retailers can list and sell their products. Shipping for these third-party sales may be handled by the external retailer, not Amazon. This means that items in a consumer’s shopping cart may be shipped by multiple shippers. It is not uncommon for an order of five items ordered through Amazon at one time, for example, to arrive as five separate packages from five different locations.
Amazon Prim is a subscription service offered through Amazon that covers all shipping fees. Customers pay an annual fee that includes shipping and other customer perks like media streaming.
Required:
1. Discuss five challenges that Amazon might encounter with implementing sustainability practices.
2. Looking at Amazon’s sustainability report for the most current year, answer the following:
Discuss three areas of sustainability that Amazon does well.
Discuss two areas that Amazon could improve on in terms of its triple bottom line.