Amazon is making another sustainable change.
While the online retail giant still has a long way to go to reduce its pollution, its new packaging switch is designed to decrease the company's negative impact on Earth and maintain durable containers for its products, One Green Planet reported. The Echo, Kindle, and Fire TV gadgets will no longer include plastic wraps inside or outside the boxes.
The colorful cardboard-esque unbleached package is instead coated with a water-based solution. It also uses 60% less ink.
According to Amazon, 90% of its U.S. device launches featured 100% recyclable packaging in 2023. Now, this new design doubles its use of post-consumer recycled materials.
The company also announced that it will continue to prioritize maritime shipping over air transit from final assembly points to warehouses to help meet its goal of decarbonizing its transportation processes by 2040.
The new packaging has 30% more recycled fiber than previous iterations. Overall, Amazon said its devices come in 98% wood fiber-based packaging.
Some of the QR codes on the boxes — which replaced paper instructions — are tactile to give blind and low-vision customers easier access to product information.
Since 2015, Amazon has cut its average per-shipment packaging weight by 43% and avoided three million-plus tons of packaging, including almost 551,000 tons in 2023. In 2024, it stopped using air pillows, which it said cut nearly 15 billion of the objects from its packaging stream annually.
While this is all welcome news, the fifth-largest company in the world has much to do to become a steward of the environment. GeekWire reported in July that Amazon reduced its carbon output by 3% last year, but it was only the second straight year it lowered its pollution.
🗣️ When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you?
🔘 The way it looks 😍
🔘 The information it provides 🧐
🔘 The waste it produces 🗑️
🔘 I don't think about packaging at all 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
The business's packaging changes also don't seem like they are being implemented as promised.
"Despite these advancements, Amazon faces ongoing scrutiny about its environmental initiatives," One Green Planet stated. "Some employees have expressed concerns over the company's commitment to addressing climate change. Nevertheless, Amazon points to its growing electric vehicle fleet and renewable energy investments as evidence of its dedication to sustainability, acknowledging that challenges remain as demand for AI and other technologies grows."
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