Amazon.com sells just about any product you can think of these days and now it’s reaching out even further.
Its new green shopping site, Vine.com, is one of a bunch of new websites designed to dig down to niche markets, from baby products (Diapers.com) to pets (Wag.com) and toys (YoYo.com).
These sites, including Vine, are run by Quidsi, which Amazon bought in 2010.
As most green sites do, Vine will sell a panoply of screened products that contribute to a green lifestyle, from personal care to housewares, for kids to adults … and pets.
Athough Vine looks like a standalone site, it’s part of the Amazon.com network. Shoppers can combine products from other Amazon sites into one cart, getting the same free shipping options.
Vine is headed up by one of our own – Josh Dorfman, who wrote the book "Lazy Environmentalist," which were also radio and TV shows.
He’s screening products in these categories: non-toxic, reusable, organic, made from sustainable materials, energy or water-efficient or powered by renewable energy. It also has sections for locally-sourced products (within 100 miles of your home) and fair trade products.
Their are dozens of green shopping sites that provide the same products – how will Amazon’s big box approach affect these small retailers?
Amazon has been criticized as a laggard on disclosing and acting on its greenhouse gas footprint from shipping and data centers. In May, the company exited the right-wing group ALEC after 500,000 signatures were delivered at its annual shareholder meeting.
This summer, eBay closed its fair trade shopping channel, WorldofGood.com, choosing to integrate green offerings into its broader network instead of a standalone site.
Here’s Vine.com:
Loading...