Overview

Amazon has refreshed its Supply Chain Standards, a set of rules that every seller and their suppliers must follow on the marketplace. The revision, part of a three‑year review cycle, tightens requirements around worker rights, environmental stewardship, and data protection, making compliance essential for anyone sourcing products for Amazon. Sellers need to understand the new obligations to avoid listing removals or account health issues.

Key Points

• Written employment terms required — Suppliers must give every new hire a clear, written contract outlining wages, hours, and duties before the first shift, such as a garment factory in Bangladesh providing a signed agreement to each cutter.
• Retaliation‑free grievance channels mandated — Each supplier must operate a documented system—like a confidential hotline or digital portal—where workers can raise safety or pay concerns without fear of dismissal.
• Child‑labor remediation plans compulsory — If a supplier discovers any under‑age workers, it must follow a predefined remediation process, for example, enrolling the children in education programs and re‑assigning adult labor to the same tasks.
• Proactive workplace safety duties imposed — Suppliers are now accountable for preventing hazards, meaning a metal‑parts plant must conduct regular ergonomic assessments and install ventilation before any injury occurs.
• Land‑use and resource extraction bans added — Any supplier involved in illegal land acquisition or unlicensed mining, such as a timber operation clearing forest without permits, is automatically disqualified from Amazon’s marketplace.
• Data‑privacy compliance extended to supply chain — Vendors handling employee records or production data must adhere to applicable privacy laws, exemplified by a Chinese electronics assembler encrypting worker payroll files in line with local regulations.
• Three‑year review cycle reinforced — The updated standards will remain in effect for the next three years, giving sellers a stable compliance horizon but also requiring ongoing monitoring.
• — Amazon expects sellers to verify not only their direct factory but also sub‑suppliers, such as a fabric mill that outsources dyeing to another plant, to meet the same standards.