AMAZON should be stripped of all Scottish subsidies and procurement contracts after revelations about the firm’s scrapping of unsold goods, the Scottish government has been told.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater raised the issue with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at Holyrood today after an ITV investigation revealed that up to 130,000 items per week, including laptops, TVs and face masks, were being destroyed at Amazon’s Dunfermline warehouse.

It is only the latest example of bad practice by the mega-corporation, which is known for poor working conditions, anti-trade union measures and tax avoidance — issues also raised by Ms Slater.

But the Scottish government continues to fund Amazon through public body Scottish Enterprise and pays to receive the company’s web services.

Ms Slater said: “As well as avoiding tax and the appalling treatment of workers, we now know this company would rather scrap millions of new items rather than give them to people in need.” 

Ms Sturgeon said that her government increasingly attaches fair working conditions to public funding and contracts, and promised to look into what conditions are attached to any links with Amazon.