Amazon has announced plans to remove 95% of plastic air pillows from its packaging in North America, a major environmental initiative that it hopes will help it reduce its carbon footprint.
The move is part of a broader effort by the company to eventually replace plastic fillings with 100% recyclable paper fillings, which would eliminate nearly 15 billion plastic pillows a year.
By opting for paper packaging, Amazon is not only giving them a second life through recycling but also significantly reducing its dependence on plastic, a material derived from fossil fuels.
Amazon is preparing to replace plastic packaging with paper fillings
“For this year's Prime Day, almost all deliveries to our customers will not contain plastic air pillows,” the company said.
Looking ahead, Vice President of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging Pat Lindner said: “We are working towards full elimination in North America by the end of the year and will continue to innovate, test and scale to prioritize recyclables at the curb.” .
Amazon has already gained some experience in using paper packaging instead of plastic air pillows. Last October, it opened an automated fulfillment center in Ohio that focused on using 100% recycled paper to protect the items inside its packages.
Amazon claims that paper offers “the same, if not better” protection compared to its plastic counterpart, with the added benefit of being recyclable in regular homes without having to be sent to a special recycling facility.
The company has also taken other measures to reduce material waste, such as shipping items in their original packaging, which accounted for 11% of all packages globally in 2022.
Approaching a market capitalization of $2 trillion, Amazon is the fifth most valuable company in the world, and with all eyes on its environmental performance, the company hopes that removing plastic from its packaging will speak volumes.
