Amazon has announced that it has removed plastic air pillows from its delivery packaging at all global fulfillment centers. As of October 2024, the company no longer uses these air-filled plastic materials, a move that comes in response to years of advocacy from environmental groups urging businesses to combat plastic pollution.
The removal of plastic air pillows, which are a common form of plastic litter found near coastlines, is expected to lessen the environmental impact, particularly on marine life, where plastic film—used in these pillows—is considered hazardous.
In an October 9th blog post, Amazon detailed its progress in reducing plastic use, although it still faces challenges in eliminating single-use plastics entirely from its operations.
Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president at Oceana, praised the announcement, calling it a significant step for ocean health. He noted that plastic air pillows have been a major contributor to plastic pollution, particularly in marine environments where they pose a threat to large animals such as whales and dolphins.
Amazon had already begun phasing out these materials in other regions. The company stopped using plastic air pillows and single-use delivery bags in Europe in 2022 and eliminated plastic film packaging in its Indian facilities in 2020.
While this recent development marks an important milestone, the company is still working to reduce its reliance on plastic in North America, its largest market. Amazon has set a target to cut the number of North American deliveries containing “Amazon-added plastic delivery packaging” to one-third by December 2024, down from two-thirds in December 2023.
Featured Image courtesy of Tashi-Delek/Getty Images
Follow us for more tech news updates.