{"id":77578,"date":"2024-06-20T22:04:05","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T22:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/20\/amazon-says-it-will-stop-using-puffy-plastic-shipping-pillows\/"},"modified":"2024-06-20T22:04:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T22:04:05","slug":"amazon-says-it-will-stop-using-puffy-plastic-shipping-pillows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/20\/amazon-says-it-will-stop-using-puffy-plastic-shipping-pillows\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon Says It Will Stop Using Puffy Plastic Shipping Pillows"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/20\/climate\/20CLI-AMAZON-PACKING\/20CLI-AMAZON-PACKING-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Amazon Says It Will Stop Using Puffy Plastic Shipping Pillows\" title=\"Amazon Says It Will Stop Using Puffy Plastic Shipping Pillows\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">They\u2019re a familiar sight in Amazon packages: The plastic air pillows designed to keep products safe in transit, but that also end up in landfills by the billions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now, under pressure from environmentalists to cut down on its use of plastic packaging, the world\u2019s largest online retailer is close to replacing all of its puffy plastic pillows with recycled paper filler.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Amazon says the move will avoid the use of almost 15 billion air pillows a year in North America. It is the Seattle-based retail giant\u2019s \u201clargest plastic packaging reduction effort\u201d to date, the retail giant said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/news\/sustainability\/amazon-replaces-plastic-air-pillows-in-packaging-north-america-us\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">in a news release<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It\u2019s just one way companies are responding to an outcry from people and environmental groups over retailers\u2019 use of plastic packaging, particularly as <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/22\/climate\/nyt-questions-online-shopping.html\" title=\"\">online shopping<\/a> continues to surge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Oceana, the ocean conservancy group that has long sparred with Amazon over its plastic use, called the move \u201cwelcome news for the oceans and the company\u2019s customers.\u201d But it called for further reductions in single-use packaging, like the padded plastic envelopes that Amazon continues to use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The pillows are made from plastic film, which scientists have found is the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41893-021-00720-8\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">most common form of plastic litter<\/a> in the sea and seabed close to the shore. Plastic film <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/346968135_Plastic_pollution_is_killing_marine_megafauna_but_how_do_we_prioritize_policies_to_reduce_mortality\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">can be deadly to wildlife<\/a> including sea turtles and sea birds. And unlike paper alternatives, plastic film generally can\u2019t be composted or <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2022\/04\/21\/climate\/plastics-recycling-trash-environment.html\" title=\"\">recycled in curbside programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/oceana.org\/reports\/amazons-united-states-of-plastic\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">recent report<\/a> by Oceana found that protective packaging like air pillows made up more than one-third of global e-commerce packaging by weight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Thursday\u2019s announcement covers the United States, Amazon\u2019s largest market, as well as Canada, and Mexico, which together account for more than 70 percent of the retailer\u2019s global sales. Amazon has already replaced about 95 percent of its plastic pillows with paper in those markets, it said, and is working toward fully removing them from use by the end of the year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Amazon says it has already been phasing out its use of plastic air pillows in Australia, as well as nearly all single-use-plastic packaging in India and throughout Europe. But those changes have been slower to come in the rest of the world. In 2022, Amazon reported using almost 12 percent less plastic packaging around the world compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Environmental and consumer groups have been working on many fronts to stem the tide of plastic packaging waste. Earlier this year, groups <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/27\/nyregion\/plastic-packaging-waste-bill.html\" title=\"\">pushed for a New York State bill<\/a> that aims to reduce the use of plastic packaging by 50 percent over 12 years by requiring the manufacturers to either find more sustainable options or pay a fee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The bill, which would also ban some toxic chemicals currently used in packaging, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, vinyl chloride and formaldehyde, cleared the State Senate but wasn\u2019t brought up to a vote in the Assembly. California, Oregon, Maine and Colorado have passed similar legislation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Of course, there\u2019s the tricky question: What about all the extra paper Amazon will use?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Paper is recyclable and biodegradable, an improvement over plastic. Still, the climate impact of paper can vary greatly, depending on what\u2019s used in the pulp, according to a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lifecycleinitiative.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Addressing-SUP-Products-using-LCA_UNEP-2021_FINAL-Report-sml.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">2021 United Nations report<\/a> that compared single-use plastic with other forms of packaging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And if paper bags end up in landfill, they can contribute to planet-warming methane pollution as they biodegrade. On the other hand, paper is more likely to actually be recycled. And if plastic bags end up being incinerated, they release toxic chemicals.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Amazon, for its part, says it is moving ahead on a multiyear effort to remove all plastic delivery packaging from its North America shipment centers. One center, in Ohio, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/news\/sustainability\/amazon-fulfillment-center-eliminates-plastic-packaging\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has already moved away from plastic entirely<\/a>, according to the company.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And some extra good news for shoppers? Amazon said its engineers tested how effective paper is at protecting products during transit and found that paper was just as good, if not better than, plastic pillows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/06\/20\/climate\/amazon-plastic-shipping-pillows.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They\u2019re a familiar sight in Amazon packages: The plastic air pillows designed to keep products safe in transit, but that also end up in landfills by the billions. Now, under pressure from environmentalists to cut down on its use of plastic packaging, the world\u2019s largest online retailer is close to replacing all of its puffy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":77579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/06\/20\/climate\/20CLI-AMAZON-PACKING\/20CLI-AMAZON-PACKING-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3865,69920,3315,69919,9550,759],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77578"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77578"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77578\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77580,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77578\/revisions\/77580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}