Amazon Trucks Snarled in U.K. Amid Climate Protest Blockades
Protesters targeted 15 facilities in a bid to disrupt Black Friday operations
Workers enter an Amazon fulfillment center as Extinction Rebellion activists protest in Tilbury, U.K., Friday.PHOTO: HENRY NICHOLLS/REUTERS
By
Trefor Moss
Nov. 26, 2021 12:19 pm ET
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LONDON—Climate protesters blockaded 13 Amazon. AMZN -2.12% com Inc. facilities in the U.K., as well as two more in Germany and the Netherlands, snarling trucks in some locales, in a bid to disrupt operations on the busiest day of Amazon’s year in terms of online orders.
Before dawn, activists for Extinction Rebellion, a British group campaigning for action on climate change, began blocking roads outside Amazon warehouses, in some cases erecting metal structures to prevent delivery trucks entering or leaving the facilities. Around 20 activists were protesting at each location.
Pictures of long lines of Amazon vehicles waiting outside warehouses circulated on U.K. social media throughout the day.
“We have a large network of sites across the U.K. and are working to minimize any potential disruption to customers,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Extinction Rebellion said it was targeting Amazon to confront “the exploitative and environmentally destructive business practices of one of the world’s largest companies.” Black Friday, it said, “epitomises an obsession with overconsumption that is not consistent with a livable planet.” The protests have targeted facilities accounting for around half of Amazon’s U.K. deliveries, the group said.
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The Amazon spokesperson defended Amazon’s environmental record and its role in the U.K. economy.
“At Amazon, we take our responsibilities very seriously,” she said. “That includes our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040.” The company said it had invested £32 billion, or about $42.6 billion, in the U.K. since 2010 and created 10,000 permanent jobs across the country this year.
Having started in the U.S., Black Friday has grown in popularity in Europe in recent years. Consumers in the U.K., Amazon’s third-biggest market by sales after the U.S. and Germany, are forecast to spend a record £9.2 billion ($12.3 billion) across the Black Friday weekend, according to research firm GlobalData PLC—much of it with Amazon.
With many items having already been bought and paid for, and with many purchases intended as Christmas gifts, any delivery delays caused by the protests appeared unlikely to hit Amazon’s bottom line. Amid the world’s super-tight supply lines and overstretched transportation networks, however, even small disruptions could cause delays or ripple in unexpected ways. The protests also come at a time of scrutiny over working conditions inside Amazon warehouses.
Some Amazon workers around the world, including in the U.S. and Europe, had separately planned coordinated strikes on Friday as part of a campaign called “Make Amazon Pay.” The campaign has issued demands for better pay and working conditions for the e-commerce giant’s global workforce.
Amazon said the company provides “excellent pay and benefits in a safe and modern work environment.”
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