ZDF-Magazin "Frontal 21": Amazon destroys massive quantities of returned and as-new goods / "This is a huge scandal. Amazon must clarify these allegations" - German environment ministry (FOTO)

Mainz (ots) -

German public national broadcaster ZDF´s program on current
affairs, Frontal 21 (Tuesday, June 12th 2018, 9.00 pm), and German
national weekly WirtschaftsWoche report that online retailer Amazon
is destroying massive amounts of as-new and returned goods in
Germany. Internal product lists, photos and interviews with employees
confirm that a wide range of products including refrigerators,
dishwashers, washing machines, mobile phones, tablets, mattresses and
furniture are being disposed of. One Amazon employee revealed she had
destroyed goods worth tens of thousands of Euros on a daily basis.
Several employees have unanimously criticized the fact that Amazon
gets rid of not only unusable products, but also of perfectly good
ones, some even said to be brand new.

Amazon did not dispute it destroys goods, but underlined its
efforts to find solutions to improve its processes towards "having to
destroy as few goods as possible." The company added: "When products
can't be sold, resold or donated, we turn to wholesale buyers who can
use these products."

Jochen Flasbarth, undersecretary in Germany's Federal Ministry of
the Environment, has urged Amazon to clarify these allegations. "This
is a huge scandal, we are consuming these resources despite all the
problems in the world. This approach is not in step with our times. "
He added: "I strongly believe that many consumers are appalled by
this behavior and will not go along with it." The former Federal
Minister of the Environment, Klaus Töpfer, described Amazon's
procedure as "irresponsible." Environmental organization Greenpeace
called for repercussions: "We need to implement a law on banning the
waste and destruction of first-hand and usable goods," said
Greenpeace expert Kirsten Brodde.

Amazon, Germany's largest online retailer, allows external dealers
who use its logistics services to dispose of unsold warehouse
inventory. Amazon's service overview in Germany includes the
following: "You can have your inventory disposed of upon request."
Internal documents suggest that this service is actively used.
Frontal 21 and WirtschaftsWoche have obtained lists of products such
as children's tennis shoes, headphones and hundreds of other goods.
Stored in one warehouse for a single day, these products were
internally labeled as "destroy" shipments.

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Original-Content von: ZDF, übermittelt durch news aktuell