Amazon is significantly reducing plastic packaging by replacing 95% of plastic air pillows in North America with paper filler. This change is part of Amazon’s broader sustainability initiative to fully eliminate plastic air pillows by the end of the year, potentially preventing nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows from entering the waste stream annually.
The effort, which represents Amazon’s largest packaging reduction in North America, aims to enhance sustainability and reduce waste while maintaining the quality of delivery.
I’m proud of the cross-Amazon collaboration to make a positive impact on the customer delivery experience with easier to recycle materials. It’s a great example of how we thoughtfully test and scale new solutions to protect our customer experience.
Pat Lindner, VP of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging
Pat Lindner, VP of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging, highlighted the goal of minimizing packaging and prioritizing recyclable materials to avoid waste. The initiative began with a pilot in an Ohio fulfillment center, quickly expanding to hundreds of centers with extensive employee training. Fulfillment associate Christian Garcia praised the switch to paper for its ease and recyclability.
I’m so excited we’re changing over to paper. It’s not only easier to work with, but the machinery gives us more space so it’s easier to pack orders. And I’m proud to be a part of a change that allows customers to recycle at home.
Christian Garcia, a fulfillment associate at the BFL1 center in Bakersfield, California
Additionally, Amazon is investing in programs like Ships in Product Packaging, which reduces the need for additional packaging, and innovating new materials and recycling solutions. Collaborations with the U.S. Department of Energy and Glacier are helping develop AI-powered robots to automate recycling sorting and collect data on recycling streams.
In 2022, 11% of all Amazon packages globally shipped without added delivery packaging.
