Amazon will soon be helping to donate millions of unsold and unwanted goods to charity.
The company’s new Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Donations program will allow—and encourage—their third-party sellers to make all of their excess products available to charitable organizations.
According to an Amazon blog post, the program is set to launch in September in the United States and United Kingdom. Independent sellers will be able to opt out of the program, but it will be the default option for unsold products.
The announcement comes shortly after reporters found that several Amazon warehouses in France were trashing thousands of unsold products. Though a company spokesperson declined to comment on the reports back in May, they did claim to donate a large portion of their returned or unsold products.
The new FBA program, however, will apparently make the process far more streamlined. For American-based donations, Amazon will be working with global philanthropic group Giving360 to distribute the products, while organizations like Bernardo’s and Newlife will be handling the collaborative UK donation process.
“We know getting products into the hands of those who need them transforms lives and strengthens local communities,” said Amazon in the Community Director Alice Shobe. “We are delighted to extend this program to sellers who use our fulfillment services.”
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