We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use. Amazon has been criticised by environmental groups in the UK for introducing plastic packaging that is unable to be recycled. As The Guardian reports, the move seems to be so that Amazon can fit more parcels into each delivery lorry - maximising how many deliveries can be made per vehicle, but resulting in small items being delivered in environmentally unfriendly plastic envelopes. A section of Amazon's 'Second Chance' website, which describes how the company's packaging can be recycled, says that it's Prime envelopes are “not widely recycled across the UK.” This seems to stand in contrast to Jeff Bezos' stance that Amazon should embrace a different definition of corporate responsibility; Bezos recently signed a statement alongside nearly 200 other companies including Apple, Pepsi and Walmart that said businesses should protect the environment “by embracing sustainable practices.” “While each of our individual companies serves its own corporate purpose, we share a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders,” the statement said, according to The New York Times. “We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities and our country.” Amazon also recently implemented a policy whereby brands and sellers would be fined a $1.99 surcharge if a product they ship uses more packaging than was deemed necessary, in an attempt to reduce environmental impact. Quoted in The Guardian, Amazon said: “Our mission is to deliver the very best customer experience. We work with manufacturers worldwide to continuously improve packaging design and introduce new, sustainable packaging that delights customers, eliminates waste, and ensures products arrive intact and undamaged for our customers.” Mike Childs, the head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said: “Despite the huge public outcry, it’s astonishing how many companies are still using single-trip, unrecyclable plastic for deliveries. “If we want to stem the tide of plastic pollution blighting our environment, giant firms like Amazon have to find ways of making deliveries in returnable and reusable packaging. And if they won’t – the government should make them.” With full warehouse automation is also expected in a decade, it is imperative that large sellers such as Amazon commit to recycled material - especially if the company continues to grow at the scale it currently is. It is estimated that Amazon ships between four billion and five billion packages per year, but in the United States that is resulting in its new packaging clogging up recycling centres as customers place them in the wrong bins.
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We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use. Amazon has been criticised by environmental groups in the UK for introducing plastic packaging that is unable to be recycled. As The Guardian reports, the move seems to be so that Amazon can fit more parcels into each delivery lorry - maximising how many deliveries can be made per vehicle, but resulting in small items being delivered in environmentally unfriendly plastic envelopes. A section of Amazon's 'Second Chance' website, which describes how the company's packaging can be recycled, says that it's Prime envelopes are “not widely recycled across the UK.” This seems to stand in contrast to Jeff Bezos' stance that Amazon should embrace a different definition of corporate responsibility; Bezos recently signed a statement alongside nearly 200 other companies including Apple, Pepsi and Walmart that said businesses should protect the environment “by embracing sustainable practices.” “While each of our individual companies serves its own corporate purpose, we share a fundamental commitment to all of our stakeholders,” the statement said, according to The New York Times. “We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities and our country.” Amazon also recently implemented a policy whereby brands and sellers would be fined a $1.99 surcharge if a product they ship uses more packaging than was deemed necessary, in an attempt to reduce environmental impact. Quoted in The Guardian, Amazon said: “Our mission is to deliver the very best customer experience. We work with manufacturers worldwide to continuously improve packaging design and introduce new, sustainable packaging that delights customers, eliminates waste, and ensures products arrive intact and undamaged for our customers.” Mike Childs, the head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said: “Despite the huge public outcry, it’s astonishing how many companies are still using single-trip, unrecyclable plastic for deliveries. “If we want to stem the tide of plastic pollution blighting our environment, giant firms like Amazon have to find ways of making deliveries in returnable and reusable packaging. And if they won’t – the government should make them.” With full warehouse automation is also expected in a decade, it is imperative that large sellers such as Amazon commit to recycled material - especially if the company continues to grow at the scale it currently is. It is estimated that Amazon ships between four billion and five billion packages per year, but in the United States that is resulting in its new packaging clogging up recycling centres as customers place them in the wrong bins.