Amazon is making a big change in how it packages items in North America.
Instead of using plastic air pillows, they’re switching to recycled paper. The company says this is better for the environment and actually works better for protecting items.
By the end of this year, Amazon plans to completely stop using plastic air pillows in North America. They’ve already replaced 95% of them with paper. This change will eliminate about 15 billion plastic air pillows each year, which is Amazon’s biggest effort to reduce plastic packaging so far.
Amazon has been criticized for years by environmental groups for using too much plastic. One group, called Oceana, has been pushing Amazon to use less plastic. While they’re happy about this change, they want Amazon to do even more to reduce waste.
The company started testing paper filler at a warehouse in Ohio last October. They found that the paper, which is 100% recyclable, protects items just as well as, if not better than, plastic air pillows. Employees also say the paper is easier to work with.
Amazon is also trying other ways to reduce waste. In 2022, 11% of their packages worldwide were shipped without any extra packaging. They’re also using artificial intelligence and robots to help sort recyclables and working with the U.S. government on new recycling programs.
This change comes after Amazon investors asked the company to explain how it would reduce waste. In 2022, Amazon reported using 85,916 metric tons of single-use plastic, which was 11.6% less than in 2021.
While this is a big step, some environmental groups and investors want Amazon to do even more. They’re encouraging the company to expand these efforts globally and look into reusable packaging options to further reduce waste.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.