Amazon is fulfilling a small part of its pledge to no longer use plastic bubble bags and air pillows to package goods, instead using all recyclable paper packaging. The company announced that it has installed an upgraded baling machine at a plant in Euclid, Ohio, that can automatically fold custom boxes to package some products, use paper mailers to package small items and put paper filler instead of plastic in standard boxes.
Amazon is working to switch to non-plastic materials after pledging in July to phase out plastic mailing bags in favor of recyclable alternatives. Generally speaking, unpadded paper mailing bags are largely less durable than plastic mailing bags, but Amazon says it has developed paper rolls that stretch, are heat-sealed, have some weather resistance, and can be recycled at the curb.
Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president of conservation group Oceana, said Amazon's transition to curbside recyclable packaging will "reduce the company's plastic waste and the amount of plastic pollution that can end up in the ocean." Littlejohn, however, questioned Amazon's commitment to stop using plastic in the U.S., its biggest market, and different commitments it has made in the U.K., Germany and other markets. Amazon said it would pursue a "multi-year effort" to convert U.S. warehouses to recyclable paper.
"Unfortunately, Amazon did not make a clear, quantifiable and time-bound commitment in this statement, so it is unclear when, where and how much real plastic reduction will occur," Littlejohn said.
Still, at least one Amazon factory has decided to switch to plastic-free packaging, suggesting it's possible for fulfillment centers of any kind to reduce plastic use. The company will also avoid packaging 11% of products it ships in 2022, adding labels directly to the boxes if the manufacturer deems them strong enough.
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