Amazon Introduces Carbon Credit Sales for Suppliers and Customers

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Amazon has launched a carbon credit program, allowing its suppliers, business customers, and other companies to purchase credits to offset their carbon emissions. The move comes amid ongoing debates over the role of carbon credits in corporate decarbonization efforts and concerns about ensuring their environmental integrity.

The retail giant emphasized that it follows industry-leading standards where available and is actively involved in shaping more rigorous verification processes when needed. Amazon has previously invested in projects related to forest conservation, land restoration, and carbon removal, but this marks its first direct venture into selling carbon credits.

Kara Hurst, Amazon’s chief sustainability officer, highlighted the company’s ability to use its scale and high vetting standards to drive further investments in nature-based solutions. Early participants in the initiative include Flickr, real estate advisory firm Seneca, and electronics company Corsair.

The Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a key authority on corporate climate goals, recently stated that carbon credits should be limited to offsetting residual emissions—those that remain after a company has made substantial reductions. However, SBTi stopped short of endorsing broader reliance on carbon credits to meet decarbonization targets.

Amazon’s program requires participating companies to have a net-zero target that includes emissions from their supply chains and to publicly report their greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative comes after the Bezos Earth Fund, founded by Jeff Bezos, discontinued its $18 million grant to SBTi in late 2023.

PDD Holdings Faces Revenue Miss Amid China Competition and Global Uncertainty

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PDD Holdings, the parent company of Pinduoduo and Temu, reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue on Thursday, reflecting weak consumer demand in China despite deep discounts and government efforts to boost spending. The company generated 110.61 billion yuan ($15.3 billion) in revenue for the quarter ending December 31, missing analysts’ estimates of 115.38 billion yuan. However, it exceeded profit expectations with an adjusted earnings per share of 20.15 yuan, aided by higher investment income and favorable currency exchange rates.

Despite aggressive pricing, PDD faces intense domestic competition from Alibaba and JD.com, both of which recently posted better-than-expected earnings. Analysts suggest that Alibaba’s focus on merchant retention and JD.com’s strength in electronics—bolstered by government subsidies—have given them an edge over PDD.

Internationally, PDD’s Temu platform continues to gain traction, attracting budget-conscious shoppers in markets like the U.S. and Europe. However, it faces uncertainty due to potential changes in the U.S. de minimis policy, which currently exempts imported items under $800 from tariffs. A policy shift could impact Temu’s low-cost advantage.

Co-CEO Chen Lei acknowledged the growing challenges posed by competition and regulatory shifts, stating that PDD is exploring new business models and localized supply chain innovations to adapt. Despite these concerns, U.S.-listed shares of PDD rose 2% in early trading.

EU Regulator Approves AI Tool for Fatty Liver Disease Trials

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) tool, AIM-NASH, to assess the severity of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in clinical trials. The condition, which affects 1.5% to 6.5% of U.S. adults, is a challenging liver disease with limited treatment options.

AIM-NASH utilizes machine learning trained on over 100,000 annotations from 59 pathologists who analyzed more than 5,000 liver biopsies across nine major clinical trials. The EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) found that the AI tool provides more consistent and reliable assessments than traditional methods, which rely on subjective evaluations from multiple pathologists.

With this approval, data generated using AIM-NASH will be considered scientifically valid in clinical trials, potentially accelerating the development of new MASH treatments. Currently, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ Rezdiffra is the only U.S.-approved drug for MASH, while companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are conducting trials to explore additional treatment options.