Amazon Compact by Design

The Compact by Design platform was created by Amazon to identify products that have best-in-class “unit efficiency” which takes into consideration the packaging volume, weight and number of uses associated with the product. The goal of the certification process is to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging brands to design products that are lighter and smaller with makes them more efficient to ship.

Architecture and Workflow

The validation process followed the following steps:

• Unit Efficiency Calculation: The unit efficiency is calculated for each product in a given product category. The formula for the unit efficiency was determined after thorough research, viability and practicality.
• Threshold Setting: Qualification thresholds were established by product category using the unit efficiencies calculated for the products. Products had to be below the threshold to qualify for certification.
• Qualification Determination: The Compact by Design platform includes an automated qualification engine that determines if a product meets the category thresholds. Data from product catalogs are initially used to determine the category thresholds.
• Product Audits: Compact by Design includes an audit process that uses a dedicated support team to review product type, usage and pack size. The intent of the audit is to maintain the integrity of the program and ensure the program bar remains high.