Sustainable Shipping: Why Amazon is Making Custom Packaging

In 2022, the EU generated 186.5kg of packaging waste per inhabitant.

To tackle this, Amazon is planning to install hundreds of automated packaging machines across its facilities in Europe.

These new machines are part of Amazon’s largest European investment in sustainable packaging.

Amazon’s sustainable packaging journey

Amazon is transforming how products are delivered, using less packaging and more recyclable materials to lower its environmental impact. 

Guided by a science-based approach, the company is prioritising sustainability while ensuring every package arrives safely and efficiently. 

In 2023, Amazon managed to avoid more than 446,000 tonnes of packaging by reducing average packaging weight per shipment by 43% since 2015. 

This brings the total packaging avoided by Amazon to more than three million tonnes, the equivalent of 285 Seattle Space Needles. 

Plastic packaging is also in decline, with 80,500 tonnes of single-use plastic being eliminated since 2020. 

“Amazon's primary focus is to decarbonise our global operations through our transition to renewable energy, building with more sustainable materials and electrifying our delivery fleet and global logistics,” explains Kara Hurst, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon. 

“We are also pursuing changes such as reducing the weight of packaging per shipment for our customers. 

“At the same time, we also need to seek every possible avenue to reduce carbon in the atmosphere.”

In 2023, 12% of global orders were shipped without any added Amazon packaging.

Lightweight options shipped by the company, like mailers and bags, were used in more than half of shipments across the US, Canada and Europe due to being up to 89% lighter than boxes. 

Innovation through technology

Amazon’s ‘Ships in Product Packaging’ programme allows products to be sent in their original manufacturer’s packaging – avoiding unnecessary waste. 

Since 2019, more than 5 billion of these shipments have been delivered in North America and Europe. 

In 2024, nearly 4 million seller products were certified under the programme with numbers continuing to grow in Japan and Australia.

Meanwhile, new automation technology is helping Amazon to scale its sustainable packaging journey. 

In the US, more than 120 packing machines were retrofitted to create made-to-fit paper bags – helping to avoid 130 million plastic bags in 2023. 

Amazon’s new machines are now being deployed globally, with smart sensors to ensure precise packaging and further reduction in material usage.

Paper-based solutions and renewable energy

When additional packaging is needed, Amazon is prioritising recyclable materials and sustainable methods to acquire these. 

To maximise sustainability, the company is investing in renewable energy projects to help power its global infrastructure.

In 2022, Amazon significantly expanded its renewable energy portfolio, adding 8.3GW through 133 new projects across 11 countries – bringing its total capacity to more than 20 GW. 

This is enough to power approximately 5.3 million US homes annually. 

With 401 renewable energy projects now in place across 22 countries, including wind and solar farms as well as rooftop installations on Amazon facilities, the company set a new corporate record for the most renewable energy announced in a single year. 

“Increasing the amount of renewable energy on Europe’s electricity grids is the fastest and cheapest way to help Europe’s economy decarbonise at scale and fight against climate change,” says Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy for EMEA at Amazon. 

“As Europe’s top corporate investor in renewable energy, we will continue to work with governments, industry and communities to unlock more of Europe’s renewable energy potential.”

In Europe, single-use plastic delivery bags were replaced with recyclable paper and cardboard; this has avoided more than a billion plastic bags since 2019. 

India and Japan have also significantly reduced plastic packaging from fulfilment operations. 

As of October 2024, Amazon removed all plastic air pillows from its delivery packaging, replacing them with 100% recycled-content paper filler.

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