Amazon's Bold Move: Eliminating Plastic Air Pillows by Holiday Season

Amazon is on a mission to significantly reduce its environmental footprint, with a bold initiative to remove all plastic air pillows from its deliveries in North America by the end-of-year holidays. This effort aligns with the e-commerce giant’s broader strategy to transition its fulfillment centers to use only fiber packaging. This marks Amazon's most significant reduction in plastic packaging in the region to date.

A Major Shift in Packaging Materials

Amazon has already replaced 95% of its plastic air pillows with paper filler. This paper filler, made entirely from recycled content, can be crumpled to provide cushioning and is recyclable via curbside systems. The change is expected to prevent the use of 15 billion plastic air pillows annually. This transition is part of Amazon's broader push to convert fulfillment centers to focus exclusively on paper packaging.

In 2022, Amazon reduced single-use plastic delivery packaging across its global operations by 11.6%. Despite these efforts, the company continues to face scrutiny over plastic waste and recycling limitations.

Learning from Initial Success

The announcement follows Amazon’s conversion of an automated fulfillment center near Cleveland to use only recyclable paper packaging. "Results have been very encouraging so far," stated Pat Lindner, Amazon's vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging. The company is gathering feedback from customers and employees to ensure they are ready to scale this initiative across their entire network in the coming years.

One of the significant challenges was ensuring that the new fiber materials perform similarly to plastic. Paper packaging must endure various environmental conditions, including exposure to moisture. Additionally, sealing paper differs from sealing plastic, necessitating specialized training for fulfillment center employees.

Rethinking Packaging for E-Commerce

Derrick Meer, SES's chief commercialization officer, pointed out that most packaging was initially developed for retail store shelves and not adapted for e-commerce. This mismatch requires additional protective measures from e-commerce providers. "If we’re really going to drive towards sustainability across the entire supply chain, a lot of the packaging needs to be rethought," Meer emphasized.

It's important to note that the phase-out of plastic air pillows applies only to boxed packages, as other formats do not require this type of internal protective material. In 2022, Amazon shipped 40% of its deliveries in corrugated boxes in the U.S., Canada, and certain EU regions. Meanwhile, 11% of products were shipped in their original packaging, and 49% were shipped in flexible packaging, including paper bags, padded paper bags, paperboard envelopes, plastic bags, and padded plastic bags. Amazon has been working to phase out padded bags containing plastics, following a similar initiative by Walmart.

Looking Forward

Amazon is set to release its 2023 sustainability data this summer, which will provide further insights into its progress and future plans. The company’s commitment to sustainability is clear, as it continues to innovate and lead in reducing plastic waste in e-commerce.