Amazon announced all of this the packaging it uses for deliveries from its logistics network in Europe -Boxes, paper bags and cardboard envelopes if additional packaging is required- are already present 100% recyclable. This includes both items sold by Amazon and items sold by Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) business partners.
This way, European customers receive packages in flexible paper bags, envelopes and boxes that can be easily recycled in all European recycling systems. Last year also Amazon has increased the number of products shipped in Europe without additional packaging by more than 50%. Thanks to the combination of these initiatives, the company is estimated to have avoided the use of more than one billion single-use plastic bags in its European distribution network since 2019.
«We are very pleased that our European distribution network relies on recyclable packaging for customer orders“he said in a statement Pat Lindner, Vice President of Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging at Amazon. «This is part of our long-term effort to be a leader in sustainability. To this end, we will continue to invest in innovative technologies, machine learning and more sustainable materials to ensure that both the packaging we use and that of other companies has a positive impact on our customers, communities and the planet“he added.
Amazon teams around the world are working with a scientific approach to make the packaging the company uses increasingly sustainable, including investing in new materials, processes and technologies. Among the various innovations that Amazon is testing in Europe, there are a few new padded paper-only envelopes, reusable mailers, or incentives so that trading partners can reduce packaging consumption.
For shipments that require additional packaging, Amazon uses science-based systems to determine the most appropriate type and size of packaging. He machine learning helps the company identify which small products can be packaged in flexible packaging such as paper bags, which are up to 90% lighter than a similar sized box. Over the last five years, these algorithms have helped reduce cardboard consumption by more than 35%. Amazon also uses algorithms to determine the most appropriate combination of different sized boxes. needed in your fulfillment centers, as well as to reduce packaging for multi-item shipments.
Packaging is just one of the areas in which Amazon continues to innovate and invest to achieve its sustainability goals. The company was a co-founder and first signatory of the Climate Pledge Commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. As part of this goal, Amazon is on track to operate on 100% renewable energy by 2025, and its transportation and delivery partners have more than 9,000 electric vehicles worldwide.