The company is replacing the air pillows with paper filler made from 100% recycled materials. This change will eliminate nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually, marking Amazon’s largest reduction in plastic packaging to date in North America.
“We are working towards full removal in North America by the end of year and will continue to innovate, test, and scale in order to prioritise curbside recyclable materials,” said Pat Lindner, VP of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging at Amazon.
The new paper filler is easier to recycle
The paper filler is not only easier for customers to recycle at home but also offers equal or better protection for products during shipping, according to Amazon’s testing. The company began transitioning away from plastic fillers in October 2023 when it opened its first U.S. automated fulfilment centre designed to eliminate plastic delivery packaging.
This move comes as part of Amazon’s ongoing efforts to reduce packaging waste and increase the use of recyclable materials. In 2022, 11% of all packages shipped by Amazon globally were sent without additional Amazon packaging through its Ships in Product Packaging program.
The shift away from plastic air pillows addresses concerns raised by environmental groups about Amazon’s plastic waste. In April, the nonprofit organisation Oceana estimated that Amazon generated 208 million pounds of plastic waste from packaging in the U.S. in 2022.
While Amazon’s global use of plastic packaging decreased by 11.6% in 2022, its use in the U.S. actually increased by about 10% that year. The company has already phased out all plastic packaging in Europe and India.
For this year’s upcoming Prime Day sale event, Amazon says nearly all customer deliveries will be free of plastic air pillows. The company is also collaborating with suppliers to source paper fillers and has been coordinating the transition across hundreds of its fulfilment centres.
