Chhavideep Singh
Source: BOB fm
Amazon, the e-commerce giant has recently been accused of destroying thousands of unsold items in Britain. Following the reports after leaked footage from the incident caught the attention of the British lawmakers and they have recently demanded to call for a meeting with the technology giant’s country manager, John Boumphrey.
This report surfaced after an investigation was conducted at an Amazon warehouse in Scotland that revealed how the e-commerce giant is destroying thousands of unsold goods and returned items, speculated to be a part of its model. According to a report by ITV News, which also conducted the undercover investigation and recorded the footage, the destroyed unsold items included laptops, televisions, sealed face masks, unread books, and much more.
It is clear from the footage that the destruction is “extreme” and can be considered as “mass destruction”. The action by Amazon is being highly criticized by lawmakers and activists because of the destruction that could have helped thousands of children and people in general, especially during the time of a pandemic.
According to ITV News and as mentioned in a report by The Washington Post, the footage shows a warehouse in Dunfermline, a Scottish town in the UK, destroying countless high-value items including drones, jewelry, headphones, and other products being put into boxes labeled “destroy”. Soon, these boxes were carried to the nearest landfill sites and recycling centers. The Washington Post further reported that millions of items were being destroyed every year.
Greta Thunberg, a renowned climate activist slammed the tech giant for the footage that leaked, saying that this is just one warehouse and if the company has a system where this is possible and even “profitable”, it is a clear sign of something being fundamentally wrong with the company.
”A leaked document showed more than 124,000 items marked as 'destroy' in just a week.”
This is just ONE warehouse.
If you have a system where this possible – and even profitable – that’s a clear sign that something is fundamentally wrong. https://t.co/bAMsxuZ2Nr— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) June 23, 2021
Amazon, on the other hand, issued a statement on Tuesday where it said that the company prioritizes the reselling and donation of unsold products rather than destruction. John Boumphrey, the country manager for Amazon UK says that the number of items being destroyed is “extremely small”, according to The Washington Post.
Sources also reveal that ex-Amazon employees have also confirmed Amazon’s system of destroying unsold items. The saddest part that lawmakers are mentioning again and again on the subject matter is that all these items that were destroyed could have benefitted so many children whose education is at stake because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families that are struggling to educate their children in this era of digitization could have used those smartphones, tablets, and laptops for the right purposes.
Amazon, the destroyer of thousands of unsold items prompts action in the United Kingdom calling for a meet with the Amazon country head.