You often see them in Amazon’s packaging: the plastic air cushions that are meant to keep products safe during transport, but which ultimately end up in landfills by the billions.
Now, the world’s largest online retailer is under pressure from environmentalists to reduce its use of plastic packaging, and is close to replacing all of its soft plastic pillows with recycled paper stuffing.
Amazon says this move will avoid the use of nearly 15 billion inflatables per year in North America. It’s the Seattle-based retail giant’s “largest reduction effort” to date, the retail giant said in a press release on Thursday.
It’s just one way companies are responding to public and environmental outrage over retailers’ use of plastic packaging, especially as online shopping becomes increasingly popular.
Oceana, the ocean conservation group that has long clashed with Amazon over plastic use, called the move “welcome news for the oceans and the company’s customers.” But it called for further reductions in single-use packaging, such as the padded plastic envelopes that Amazon continues to use.
The cushions are made of plastic wrap, which scientists have discovered is most common form of plastic waste in the sea and the seabed close to the coast. Cling film can be fatal to wild animals including sea turtles and seabirds. And unlike paper alternatives, plastic wrap generally cannot be composted or recycled in home programs.
a recent report Research by Oceana has found that protective packaging such as air cushions makes up more than a third of global e-commerce packaging weight.
Thursday’s announcement applies to the United States, Amazon’s largest market, as well as Canada and Mexico, which together account for more than 70 percent of the retailer’s global sales. Amazon has already replaced about 95 percent of its plastic cushions with paper in those markets, it said, and is working to phase them out completely by the end of the year.
Amazon says it has already eliminated plastic air pillows in Australia, as well as nearly all single-use plastic packaging in India and across Europe. But elsewhere in the world, the changes are coming more slowly. In 2022, Amazon said it used nearly 12 percent less plastic packaging globally compared to the previous year.
Environmental and consumer groups have been working on many fronts to stem the flow of plastic packaging waste. Earlier this year, groups pushed for a New York state bill that aims to cut plastic packaging use by 50 percent over 12 years by requiring manufacturers to find more sustainable options or pay a fee.
The bill, which would also ban some toxic chemicals currently used in packaging, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, vinyl chloride and formaldehyde, was approved by the Senate but was not voted on in the General Assembly. California, Oregon, Maine and Colorado have passed similar legislation.
Of course, there’s the tricky question: What about all the extra paper Amazon will use?
Paper is recyclable and biodegradable, an improvement over plastic. However, the climate impact of paper can vary greatly depending on what is in the pulp, according to a 2021 United Nations Report which compared single-use plastic with other forms of packaging.
And when paper bags end up in the landfill, they can contribute to global warming through methane pollution because they are biodegradable. On the other hand, paper is more likely to actually be recycled. And when plastic bags are eventually burned, toxic chemicals are released.
For its part, Amazon says it is continuing a multi-year effort to remove all plastic delivery packaging from its North American shipping centers. One center, in Ohio, has already completely moved away from plasticthe company said.
And some additional good news for shoppers? Amazon said its engineers tested how effective paper is at cushioning products during shipping and found that paper is as good as, or better than, plastic cushioning.
