Amazon UK recently announced that it will no longer use single-use plastic bags in product packaging and will instead use recyclable paper delivery bags or cardboard envelopes for orders shipped from Amazon's logistics centers.
Amazon announced that it has stopped packaging products in single-use plastic delivery bags and envelopes across its distribution network in the UK. This includes items sold by Amazon and third-party sales partners that use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA).
Customers will now receive packages packaged in flexible paper bags and cardboard envelopes, which are easier to recycle in UK household recycling, contain more recycled content and reduce volume compared to shipping in corrugated cardboard boxes.
"We've changed our supply network to enable us to eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags in the UK," commented John Boumphrey, Amazon UK country manager. "Customers are already receiving more paper and cardboard that is easy to recycle and we will continue to innovate and find ways to use more sustainable packaging."
However, in a few cases, customers in the UK may still receive products in plastic packaging.
While Amazon controls the packaging of items shipped directly to customers from its own fulfillment centers, more than 50 percent of sales come from third-party sales partners, many of which are small and medium-sized businesses that sell to Amazon customers through Amazon stores.
Amazon delivers products to customers in manufacturer-supplied disposable plastic bags when the products are in the bags and the bags fit properly. This avoids adding unnecessary additional packaging.
Plastic preparation materials, such as bubble wrap, can still be used when necessary to protect fragile items such as glass, for example.
From cardboard boxes to flexible bags, Amazon is working to improve the sustainability of its packaging. The company has right-sized packaging to match products that use less material and adds a recycling component to the manufacturing process. Since 2015, Amazon has reduced the outbound packaging weight of each shipment by more than 36 percent and eliminated more than 1 million tons of packaging material, equivalent to 2 billion shipping boxes.
