Amazon is eliminating 15 billion plastic “airbags” from delivery boxes

Amazon has replaced single-use plastic airbags with recycled paper in 95 percent of its delivery boxes in North America. The full transition is planned in time for the 2024 holiday retail season.

The move, announced on June 20, will reduce an estimated 15 billion of these pillows annually and will see a similar elimination process in Europe in the summer of 2022. About 40 percent of Amazon orders are shipped in these boxes. The Seattle-based retailer reduced its plastic packaging by 37,150 tons since 2020, but still used 85,916 tons of single-use plastic in 2022.

Eliminating pillows marks Amazon’s biggest plastic reduction yet. Amazon is phasing out single-use plastics from its global supply network. The company has completely eliminated secondary packaging, shipping approximately 11 percent of its products in its original boxes. There is also a switch from plastic to paper envelopes, which started at the beginning of this year.

Problem with the plastic cushion

“We use recycled materials wherever we can. But sometimes automation technologies make this difficult,” said Pat Lindner, vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging at Amazon.

Even if they can be collected, used airbags are difficult to recycle because they often clog sorters. “Most airbags do not have effective recycling programs, even if you take the time to open them one by one,” said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. “Paper and other fiber products are suitable alternatives.”

According to data cited by the Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC), approximately 460 million tons of plastic were produced last year, at least a third of which ended up in packaging.

Paper is a better shock absorber

Biodegradable products are easier to throw away. Paper (recycled or otherwise) or algae- and fungi-based fillers are better for cushioning items, said Erica Cirino, communications manager at PPC.

In addition to being eligible for curbside recycling, paper absorbs drops and other stresses more effectively than airbags, said Clint Haynes, vice president and partner at Stress Engineering, which helped Amazon replace its airbags. They fill “crumple zones” and absorb impact energy rather than allowing it to bounce.

The way packages are shipped hasn’t changed much since the 1970s, Haynes said. “If you believe in where e-commerce is going, you need to rethink the fundamentals of your packaging programs,” he said.

Renovation of equipment and processes required

Amazon tested changes at an innovation center near its headquarters in Seattle and at a fulfillment center in Cleveland, which was the first to switch from plastic to paper shipping envelopes in late 2023. The company replaced the dispensers of its rented plastic air bags with canisters that dispense paper. Lindner said the testing costs came from Amazon’s innovation budget, but the updates were part of regular capital spending at its facilities.

Factors assessed by Amazon included the time it takes to fill and seal a package (the new process is faster) and the ergonomics associated with the process, including the height of the dispensers (which can be adjusted to individual needs), Lindner said. The new process gives workers “greater flexibility to protect themselves… and allows them to be more careful,” he said.