Amazon is making a big change to its packages - what’s different and what to expect?

• Amazon is revamping its packaging for UK customers.
• New-style parcels will be dropping on your doorsteps/ through your letterbox soon. 
• It is part of the online retail giant’s push to bring down its carbon footprint. 

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Amazon has unveiled a radical change to its packages and UK customers will soon be able to spot the difference. The move comes as part of the online giant’s desire to avoid waste and reduce carbon emissions. 

The redesigned envelopes will start landing on your doorstep, or be pushed through your letterbox, soon - in fact you may have already spotted one. Amazon says the new packages are “shock-absorbing” and will replace envelopes lined with bubble wrap. 

The retail giant is aiming to be net-zero across its operations by 2040 and the new packaging is part of that push. Shoppers will be able to recycle the envelopes at home. 

But what can you expect? Here’s all you need to know: 

How has Amazon changed the packaging? 

If you are ordering single or smaller items from Amazon - instead of say a Ninja air fryer - you may soon notice the envelope it arrives in has been significantly revamped. Prime members can still get free next day delivery by signing up here. 

Amazon scientists and engineers worked with packaging industry expert Mondi to develop a new paper-padded envelope with shock-absorbent, paper-based lining. The envelopes will no longer come with bubble wrap for padding inside - which made it harder to recycle the packaging. 

The new envelopes protect deliveries without using any plastic content, the retail giant says. The simple and effective design is much lighter than equivalent-sized cardboard boxes. 

The envelopes are also easy to fill without wasted space due to their greater flexibility, and the fact they don’t require additional padding materials to be added, such as recyclable paper dunnage. Making them easy as pie to recycle at home, no longer having to worry about what to do with the bubble wrap. 

Will the packages look different? 

The envelopes will have a slightly different look as a result of the redesign. They feature multiple ridges, allowing the packaging to fold around its contents in a way that makes it simple and quick to pack.

The new paper-padded envelopes are available in three sizes and can be used to protect single and multiple items. These include common everyday purchases ranging from skincare and health supplements to home and office items, as well as toys.

What has Amazon said about the redesign? 

“Amazon stopped using traditional bubble-wrap padded envelopes in Europe several years ago, which presented a challenge to develop light, flexible and fully recyclable paper packaging that provides the same protection,” said Thais Blumer, European Head of Sustainable Packaging for Amazon. “Achieving both low weight and maximum protection with a 100% recyclable paper envelope was not an easy task, but these envelopes are easy to pack, simple for customers to recycle at home, and enable damage-free deliveries.”

“Together with Amazon, we spent several months testing our designs, evaluating various padding options such as honeycomb and embossed bubble paper. Ultimately, open-flute padding — a flat paper sheet attached to a sheet of ridged paper — proved to be the best solution,” Pedro Cuesta, a packaging engineer from Mondi, explained. 

“Creating a plastic-free padded mailer for ecommerce packaging has been an exciting collaborative journey towards a more sustainable future. We are proud that Amazon customers all over Europe could soon be receiving orders in these envelopes.”

Can you recycle the packages at home? 

Unlike envelopes with bubble wrap lining, the new Amazon packages are designed to be easily recycled at home. Simply make sure you put it in the right recycling bin/ box depending on how they are collected. 

More than 50% of Amazon European shipments now come in reduced, recyclable delivery packaging, such as a paper bag or cardboard envelope or — in the case of 700 million shipments since 2019 — no added packaging at all through Amazon’s Ships in Product Packaging programme. Since 2015, Amazon has reduced packaging per-shipment weight by 43%, representing more than 3 million metric tons of packaging materials avoided.

Have you spotted one of the new Amazon envelopes out in the wild yet? Let us know by emailing our tech writer: [email protected].