Amazon Reduces Packaging Waste: How Can Your Business do the Same?

Earlier this month, Amazon.com announced that they were going to be significantly reducing waste. That’s a good thing, considering my past experiences with Amazon. I mean, just look at all of the unnecessary packaging:

Yep, that little guitar was all I ordered. Talk about waste.

With their new plan, will the too-large boxes be a thing of the past? I’m not sure. Their first priority is to stop using the “clamshell” packaging – you know, that hard plastic that is impossible to open and always way to big for the item. Along with that, they’ll be working to eliminate those plastic-coated twisty ties that hold items in place. My cat might love playing with those, but they’re unnecessary waste and dangerous for unsupervised pets and kids.

They’re calling this program “Frustration-Free Packaging,” and while it is a good start, it is ultimately only affecting a very small percentage of the items being shipped. Greenwashing? Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I think Amazon is making some legitimate changes, I just think that packaging isn’t their number one priority right now.

Should you make it yours?

Yes, if you can. Think about your packaging in a new way. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Can I ship items better to avoid less cushion waste?
• Are the items I’m using for product packaging recycled and recyclable?
• Can I change the thickness of the products I’m using for packaging (for example, a thinner bottle if you sell shampoo) without risking product integrity?
• Will items sell in groups, requiring less packaging?
• Can I rework packaging design?

You can read more about the Amazon initiative from Sustainable Business. Remember, anything a big business does, you can do on a smaller scale.

Picture taken by Allison Boyer.