Environmentalism has never been more popular, and for those who concern themselves with the future of our planet and of humanity, this could not possibly be a better thing. Interest in preserving the environment and tailoring our lives to be more sustainable has spread from the efforts of the individual to the campaigns and product launches of some of the world’s most largest corporations. From the development of the hybrid and electric cars to network-wide environmental campaigns ran by television corporations, the urgent need to protect our environment has never been more at the forefront of the public consciousness. This fact is getting another point in its favor, as Amazon joins the charge towards a more environmentally-conscious consumer experience.
Joining its already far-reaching arsenal of online shopping outlets, Vine.com is Amazon’s newest efforts towards affecting some serious social changes. Vine was created with the needs and concerns of the environmentally-friendly shopper specifically in mind, and as such it pretty much only sells products that are green or otherwise environmentally-friendly.
Vine was obtained by Amazon along with the rest of what’s known as the Quidsi network in 2010 — this included sites like Diapers.com, Wag.com, and YoYo.com, all of whose functions are pretty thoroughly explained by their diapers. While this would seem to tighten the already impressive grip Amazon seems to have on Internet commerce (it already owns sites like Zappos and Woot, though it’s not at all obvious when you visit them), this is also a great step in the direction of mainstream environmental consciousness.
If it’s green, Vine will sell it, and they even go a step further by offering portals for fair trade items, and local goods that can be purchased from within a hundred miles of your living place. In fact, Vine’s products must fit into one of a few different categories in order to be sold on the site. The only category that involves functionality is the one that covers products whose purpose is to remove toxins — otherwise, these categories mainly concern the components involved in the product. Categories exist for energy efficient products, reusable products, items that have been made from sustainable materials, and so on. There are also, of course, categories for natural, organic, and energy efficient items as well.
Shoppers looking to for a way to contribute to the environment will have a great way to do it with Vine. The site will focus on lightning-quick order fulfillment and expert customer service by using robots to package orders and real, live human beings to handle your customer service inquiries. And Vine is thorough, too. Not simply content with packaging or a sticker that reads “organic,” Vine insists on scanning all materials and ingredients, making sure that the products you find here are as eco-friendly as they purport to be. With Vine, Amazon is helping the environmental cause in a huge way — by giving consumers a place where they can easily and quickly find a variety environmentally-friendly products, Amazon and Vine are making sustainability a lot easier for everyone.
You must log in to post a comment.