Amazon UK no longer packs in single-use plastic bags

This week, Amazon UK announced that it no longer packs products in single-use plastic delivery bags. The company has switched to recyclable paper delivery bags and cardboard envelopes for orders shipped from its own fulfillment centers.

Popular marketplace Amazon has a large presence in the UK. In 2021, the company signed 18 renting deals for new warehouses, showing that its distribution network is still growing.

However, the company has also faced criticism over the levels of packaging waste it produces. Since 2015, the company has been making changes to reduce packaging waste. According to the company, it reduced the weight of packaging per shipment by 36 percent, which eliminated one million tonnes of packaging material.

Changes in the UK

Now, the company is making another move towards sustainability in the UK. It chose this market because recyclable paper delivery bags and envelopes are more easily recycled across the UK. The materials are made with more recycled content and reduce volume compared to other cardboard materials.

‘We’ve made changes in our supply network to remove single-use plastic delivery bags.’

“We have made changes in our supply network that enable us to remove single-use plastic delivery bags in the UK,” said John Boumphrey, UK country manager at Amazon. In addition to the recyclable paper delivery bags, the company will also increasingly send products in its original packaging with only an address label added.

Investments in sustainability

It has also said that it’s investing to improve the sustainability of its packaging. The company wants to develop packaging that match product size, using less material overall. It will also increase the amount of recycled content that goes into packaging materials.

‘We’re committed to becoming net-zero carbon by 2040.’

Consumers in many countries find that ecommerce isn’t eco-friendly, due to the gas emissions in deliveries and returns. Amazon UK recently unveiled its first electric trucks, in an effort to lower carbon emissions. “We’re committed to becoming net-zero carbon by 2040, and this is a milestone as we continue to decarbonize our transportation network so we can deliver more customer orders using zero emissions vehicles”, Boumphrey said at the time.