Amazon is promising to replace plastic air pillows in deliveries with paper filler, substantially reducing the company’s usage.
Amazon said in a statement Thursday that removing 95% of the air cushions is part of a larger strategy to cut waste and use recyclable material at its fulfillment facilities. By the end of 2024, Amazon is aiming to eliminate all plastic air pillows used in North America, according to Vice President for Sustainable Packaging Pat Lindner in a statement.
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According to Amazon, the action will enable it to stop relying on approximately 15 billion plastic air cushions per year.
Starting during Prime Day, customers will see that the orders next month lack the air pillows, the business noted. According to Amazon, the paper filler offers equal shipping protection and consists entirely of recycled materials.
A League of Women Voters count shows Amazon among firms pledging to cut their plastic consumption, including PepsiCo, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Philip Morris International, and Mars. Starbucks debuted a new cup range in April that the coffee vendor claimed will help keep over 13.5 million pounds of plastic out of landfills annually.
The nonprofit conservation group Oceana estimates that 33 billion pounds of plastic waste from around the globe find their way into the oceans annually, finally disintegrating into microscopic pieces. An area of roughly 11 square feet in the Mediterranean Sea revealed 1.9 million microplastics, according to a 2020 study.
Larger prey can consume plastic-eating marine animals, potentially leading to human consumption. The United Nations estimates that plastic clean-up expenses, together with related financial losses to fisheries and other businesses, come to about $13 billion annually.
