By the end of this year, Amazon will no longer use single-use plastic bags for shipping its packages in France.
These plastic bags will be replaced by paper sleeves and cardboard envelopes for all orders of small items shipped from Amazon's distribution centers in France. Larger products are already shipped in cardboard boxes. In addition, Amazon will increase the number of products shipped in their original packaging, the one provided by the manufacturer, with only a label with the end customer's address added.
These soft paper pockets or cardboard envelopes "are more easily recycled by waste collection and processing services" recognize the American platform of online sales in its statement.
"We have made changes to our supply network in France, which allows us to eliminate single-use plastic pouches." says David Lewkowitz, Director of Operations at Amazon France Logistics. "Customers are now receiving an increasing 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."
This type of cellulose packaging from Amazon has already been the norm in India since 2020. But in the U.K., the online retail giant has gone the other way, replacing its cardboard packaging solutions with bubble-wrapped plastic envelopes in 2019.
Amazon claims to have reduced the weight of its packages by about 36 percent since 2015 and eliminated more than 1 million tons of packaging materials, or 2 billion shipping cartons.
