As the world's largest online retailer, Amazon goes through a lot of packing and shipping materials.
In fact, in 2021 Amazon shipped an estimated 7.7 billion packages around the world. If each of these packages were a 1-foot square box and they were stacked on top of one another, the pile would be six times higher than the distance from the Earth to the Moon. (insert "holy smokes" emoji, if that's such a thing)
Anyway, in 2022, Amazon reported that it used a total of 85,916 metric tons (189 million pounds) of single-use plastic to ship its packages in 2022, down from 97,222 metric tons (214 million pounds) of single-use plastic packaging in 2021. This includes items such as mailers, Bubble Wrap, inflatable pillows, film, and other types of protective packaging.
They now even use machine-learning software to identify the best packaging to protect products with as little material as possible. Impressive.
Still a ways to go to help protect the oceans and the landfills, but if Amazon wants to be a market leader in online retail sales, they should also be a leader in responsible packaging and shipping.
There’s still a very long way to go: Amazon reported that it used 85,916 metric tons of single-use plastic in its fulfillment centers globally last year, an amount roughly three and a half times heavier than the Statue of Liberty. At the same time, because of that massive scale, each small step forward matters. “Amazon’s reduction in plastic use is good news for the oceans,” says Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president of the nonprofit Oceana, which has previously calculated how much Amazon plastic packaging may be ending up in the ocean. “As a next step, the company should make a global commitment to move away from single-use plastic packaging.”
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