Amazon India Eradicates Single-Use Plastic In Packaging Across Fulfilment Centres The e-commerce operator in September 2019 had pledged to meet this goal by June 2020 to build an environmentally sustainable supply chain

In its effort to achieve sustainability, Amazon India announced that it has eliminated all single-use plastic in packaging originating from its 50-plus fulfilment centres across the country. The e-commerce operator in September 2019 had pledged to meet this goal by June 2020 to build an environmentally sustainable supply chain.

Amazon India took its first step towards eliminating single-use plastic in December 2019 when it replaced plastic packaging material, such as bubble wraps and air pillows with "paper cushion' in its packaging. The company then introduced 100 per cent plastic-free and biodegradable paper tape earlier this year, which is used to seal and secure customer shipments. The company has also replaced thin cling films for customer deliveries, among other material with packaging options that are not single-use plastic in nature.

Commenting on this achievement, Prakash Kumar Dutta, director, customer fulfilment and supply chain, Amazon India, said, "The elimination of single use plastic in our packaging across our fulfilment centers marks an important milestone in our relentless journey towards building a sustainable supply chain. Our aim is to minimize environmental impact while elevating customer experience. While navigating through unprecedented challenges with the lockdown and pandemic in the last few months, we have continued to take progressive steps towards ensuring that we meet our commitment. We strongly believe that moving towards sustainable practices is good for the planet, the customers and the business, and we will continue to invest and innovate on this front."

Earlier in June, the company announced that it has expanded its India-first initiative, Packaging-free shipping to over 100 cities, and now more than 40 per cent of Amazon customer orders shipped from Amazon India's fulfilment centers are now either packaging-free or have significantly reduced packaging. The company has also been collecting and recycling plastic waste equivalent to its usage at a national level from September 2019, and has identified collection agencies to help collect equivalent 100 per cent plastic waste generated from usage across Amazon fulfilment network.

Amazon also aims to make all shipments net zero carbon, with 50 per cent net zero carbon by 2030.