Amazon swaps plastic air pillows for recycled paper in North America

NORTH AMERICA – Amazon is replacing plastic air pillows with recycled paper filler in its North American packaging to address environmental concerns.

The company has already replaced 95% of plastic air pillows in delivery packaging and aims to eliminate them completely by the end of the year.

This initiative is Amazon’s largest plastic packaging reduction effort in North America, projected to avoid nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually.

By Prime Day this year, almost all customer deliveries will exclude plastic air pillows. Pat Lindner, VP of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging, highlighted the collaborative effort across Amazon to achieve this goal, emphasizing the focus on using recyclable materials.

Amazon’s automated fulfillment center in Ohio tested this transition, sourcing paper filler from 100% recycled content.

The company worked with suppliers and fulfillment center employees to implement new machinery and systems, and third-party engineer lab assessments confirmed that paper filler provides equal or better protection than plastic air pillows.

Christian Garcia, a fulfillment associate, praised the switch for its ease of use and recyclability.

Amazon’s investment in reducing packaging and increasing curbside recyclability continues with this effort.

Last November, the e-commerce giant announced that its entire European fulfillment network now exclusively uses 100% recyclable packaging for all customer orders.

This initiative includes items Amazon sells and its third-party selling partners affiliated with Fulfillment by Amazon.

Customers throughout Europe now receive their orders in flexible paper bags, cardboard envelopes, or corrugated cardboard boxes, all of which are easily recyclable through household recycling streams after use.

Amazon has collaborated with European vendors to ensure that most of its products are delivered in their ‘easy-to-open original packaging.’

This recyclable packaging can be shipped directly to customers with an address label, eliminating the need for additional Amazon packaging.

When extra packaging is necessary, Amazon uses lighter and appropriately sized packaging to ensure secure delivery while minimizing the carbon footprint and waste generation.

In 2022, 11% of Amazon’s global shipments were made without additional delivery packaging. The company is also exploring new materials and recycling solutions, partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy and San Francisco-based Glacier to enhance recycling technology and reduce landfill waste.

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