Amazon commits to major plastic packaging reduction in North America

Amazon has announced its largest reduction of plastic packaging in North America yet, as the company has replaced 95 percent of plastic air pillows from delivery packaging with paper filler and says it is working toward full removal by the end of this year.

The company says this reduction will avoid approximately 15 billion plastic air pillows annually.

“I’m proud of the cross-Amazon collaboration to make a positive impact on the customer delivery experience with easier to recycle materials,” said Patrick Lindner, vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging, in an article published to Amazon News. “We are working towards full removal in North America by end of year and will continue to innovate, test and scale in order to prioritize curbside recyclable materials.”

Amazon opened its first U.S. automated fulfillment center in Ohio last year, where it tested the transition from plastic air pillows to paper filler and collaborated with suppliers to source paper made from 100 percent recycled content. The company also implemented the transition across multiple fulfillment centers and worked with employees to change machinery and host employee training sessions.  

Oceana, a Washington-based ocean conservation organization, has campaigned for Amazon to reduce its use of plastic packaging since 2020.  

“As the world’s dominant e-commerce company, Amazon’s action to reduce plastic packaging is welcome news for the oceans and the company’s customers,” Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives, said in a statement.

Oceana’s most recent report found that protective packaging, including plastic air pillows, accounted for more than one-third of all e-commerce plastic packaging by weight globally.

Amazon’s reduction of plastic air pillows in North America aligns with its initiative in Australia, as well as its reduction of nearly all single-use plastic packaging in India and throughout Europe.