Amazon France embraces paper e-commerce packaging in plastic sleeve wipe out

19 Nov 2021 --- Amazon in France has announced it will stop packaging items in single-use plastic sleeves by the end of the year. Customers will now receive their items in flexible paper sleeves or cardboard envelopes, which are recycled more easily by waste collection and treatment services. 

The change applies to all small items shipped from Amazon fulfillment centers in France, whether sold directly by Amazon or by third-party sellers who use its logistics network. Customers will continue to receive larger orders in cardboard packages.

The paper pouches are also made with more recycled material and reduce the volume of packages compared to deliveries in standard corrugated boxes.

French consumers mainly support the use of paper packaging. According to Innova Market Insights, most believe paper offers good (38%) or excellent (31%) recyclability. Moreover, the majority also recognize paper packaging’s good (48%) or excellent (19%) ease-of-opening.

“We have made changes to our supply network in France, which allows us to do away with single-use plastic pouches,” comments David Lewkowitz, director of operations at Amazon France Logistique.

“Customers now receive a growing number of orders in easily recyclable paper and cardboard packaging. And we will continue to innovate and find solutions to use even more sustainable materials.”

Amazon’s packaging priorities
Amazon claims to have eliminated the equivalent of two billion boxes since 2015 by reducing packaging material worldwide, especially by optimizing the packaging of the most frequently ordered products.

The multinational giant reinforced its Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP) program in 2018 with financial incentives, encouraging vendors to optimize packaging material use and durability. This year, the company invested in Italian 3D packaging automation specialist CMC Machinery to develop more environmentally sustainable packaging.Amazon France will stop packaging items in single-use plastic sleeves by the end of the year.

Amazon is increasingly prioritizing “properly sized packages” while using less material and increasing recycled material use. The e-retailer has reportedly reduced its shipped packaging weight by more than 36% and eliminated more than one million tons of packaging material since 2015.

Last year, Amazon eliminated all single-use plastic packaging across its more than 50 fulfillment centers in India.

The company has also experimented with reusable packaging, encouraging customers to convert cardboard boxes into cat condos, forts and boxcars across the US.

Testing e-commerce packaging
Amazon’s FFP program incentivizes suppliers to package their products in easy-to-open packaging using 100% recyclable material with a credit scheme. The packaging should also be “ready to ship” to customers without additional Amazon packaging.

The company tests packaging in state-of-the-art laboratories and distribution centers worldwide, identifying specific measures suppliers can take to improve their packaging. For example, Smurfit Kappa’s 3 L bag-in-box design recently received FFP certification.

Scholle IPN also introduced a bag-in-box pack for liquid products, recognized by Amazon as “ship-in-own-container” (SIOC) certified.

Meanwhile, DS Smith supports the Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network, a customer experience optimization program developing more environmentally sustainable and durable e-commerce packaging.Amazon claims to have eliminated the equivalent of two billion boxes worldwide since 2015 by reducing packaging material.

E-commerce climate benefits
According to Innova Market Insights, e-commerce has soared as a consequence of COVID-19 social restrictions, with 35% of global consumers increasing their home food delivery use since the virus outbreak.

Amazon points to a study by Oliver Wyman and Logistic Advisory Experts – an organization linked to the Supply Chain Institute at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland – suggesting e-commerce generates between 1.5 and 2.9 times lower greenhouse gas emissions than physical retail, including taking returns processes into account.

The study also indicates e-commerce saves 4-9 times the traffic it generates, with home deliveries only accounting for 0.5% of total traffic in urban areas.

Amazon is the co-founder and first signatory of The Climate Pledge, a commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. The company is reportedly on track to achieve 100% renewable energy through its operations by 2025.

Moreover, it has ordered more than 100,000 electric delivery vehicles, thousands of which are already making deliveries to customers in Europe.

PackagingInsights recently explored the accelerated growth of e-commerce in the COVID-19 age in a webinar with Daniela Dorner, eCommerce director at Mondi, and Akhil Aiyar, senior market analyst at Innova Market Insights.

By Joshua Poole