Amazon has revealed a sharp 28% decline in the use of single-use plastic packaging across its North American shipments, according to its 2024 sustainability report released this week. The milestone reflects the company’s ongoing pivot towards paper-based alternatives and deeper collaboration with packaging suppliers including SC Johnson, Mondi, Shorr Packaging and Pregis.
The e-commerce giant said only 37% of North American shipments in 2024 contained single-use plastic delivery packaging, a significant drop from 65% the previous year. Amazon attributed this progress to efforts such as replacing plastic air pillows with paper fillers and retrofitting automated packing machines to create made-to-fit paper bags.
“In Europe, we have already eliminated plastic in outbound delivery packaging, and we’re working to replicate that success in other regions,” the company stated in its report.
Amazon’s global operations also saw a 16.4% reduction in single-use plastic packaging. Over half (56%) of North American fulfillment centers no longer use plastic packaging materials, the report highlighted.
To further advance its sustainability goals, Amazon continued to invest in packaging innovation and partnerships. For example, working with Mondi, the company developed a fully recyclable paper-based mailer with protective paper lining, which was introduced across European operations in 2024.
Another key initiative, “Ships in Product Packaging” (SIPP), which allows products to be shipped in their original manufacturer’s packaging without additional Amazon packaging, remained at 13% of North American shipments year-on-year. However, the company reported that nearly two million new seller products became certified under SIPP in 2024 following an expansion of the program to Fulfillment by Amazon sellers in North America and Europe.
“This program expansion is creating incentives in certain regions to shift to packageless delivery and working with others to improve packaging,” Amazon noted.
Brand partnerships have also yielded results. A collaboration with SC Johnson led to a redesign of its Method body wash packaging, cutting packaging volume by 63%, reducing components from three to one, and eliminating secondary plastic packaging.
Meanwhile, Pregis, a supplier of protective packaging, has been supported through “Amazon-provided renewable energy credits to decarbonize its converting operations,” and Shorr Packaging became a signatory of Amazon’s Climate Pledge.
With these changes, Amazon is underlining its commitment to sustainable packaging and signaling a broader shift in e-commerce supply chains towards lower-impact materials and solutions.
