Circular Economy
Amazon is minimising waste, increasing recycling and providing options for our customers to reuse, repair and recycle their products. We are working to send less material to the landfill and more back into the circular economy loop.
Circular Economy
Our customers want properly-sized, recyclable packaging that minimises waste and ensures damage-free delivery. We work to reinvent and simplify our sustainable packaging options using a science-based approach that combines lab testing, machine learning, materials science and manufacturing partnerships to scale sustainable change across the packaging supply chain.
Frustration-Free Packaging
As of June 2021, we have reduced the weight of outbound packaging by over 36 % and eliminated more than 1 million tons of packaging material since 2015 – the equivalent of 2 billion shipping boxes.
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36 %ReductionOutbound packaging by weight
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1 millionTonsPackaging material eliminated
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2 millionProductsQualify under our FFP Programmes
Amazon is committed to reducing our environmental footprint through recycling initiatives in our own operations and partnerships that support the development of recycling infrastructure across the industry.
When we have surplus inventory in our fulfilment network, Amazon donates the eligible items to charity organisations, giving products a new life, reducing waste and helping to build stronger communities. Amazon contributed more than 25 million products to our global charity partners in 2020.
We are committed to reducing food loss and waste within our US operations by 50 % by 2030. We joined the Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions group, an effort jointly administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture. As part of our commitment, we will be developing food waste reporting, generating source reduction metrics, sharing food waste reduction programmes and progress on our website, building new food disposition paths and expanding existing donation programmes.
Amazon Second Chance
Amazon Second Chance is a central hub that helps customers eliminate waste and give products and packaging a second life. It is available across the globe with offerings in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Japan.
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Amazon makes it easy for customers to retire their products without sending them into the waste stream. Through Amazon Trade-In, customers in the US, UK and Germany can trade in thousands of eligible items including Amazon devices, mobile phones, video games and consoles, and more in exchange for an Amazon.com Gift Card.
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For electronic equipment that cannot be repaired or traded in, customers can recycle their items free of charge through programmes like Amazon Device Recycling in the US and Recycle with Amazon in Europe. These programmes direct electronic equipment to recycling partners who dismantle the items and ensure that they are recycled and re-purposed into new products.
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Amazon Warehouse offers refurbished and returned products, which undergo a rigorous 20-point inspection process before being sold at a discounted price.
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Amazon Renewed offers like-new refurbished products, such as electronics, home appliances and more. All products are professionally inspected and tested to work and look like new, and are backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
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Pre-owned Amazon Devices provides customers with access to fully functional pre-owned products that have been screened and tested by Amazon.
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Amazon also encourages customers to fix items before replacing or disposing of them. We offer free Product Support in seven global geographies, providing customers with technical assistance, replacement parts and repair services for select items, helping them maximise the life of the things they already own.
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Amazon Second Chance helps customers responsibly dispose of the packaging used to deliver Amazon orders, including Amazon device packaging and Amazon Grocery deliveries. Customers can view recycling instructions by package type on the Amazon Second Chance Site, or look for instructions in their dispatch confirmation emails on how to properly dispose of packaging included in each delivery.
Partnerships
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Closed Loop FundAmazon invested 10 million USD in the Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund to finance recycling and circular economy infrastructure in North America. Through this investment, Amazon aims to increase product and packaging recycling, ensuring that material gets back into the manufacturing supply chain. Over the next decade, our investment in the Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund will improve kerbside recycling for three million homes in communities across the U.S., diverting one million tons of recyclable material from landfills and eliminating the equivalent of two million metric tons of carbon dioxide. -
Feeding AmericaAmazon partners with Feeding America to direct our surplus inventory to communities in need. Feeding America is a U.S. network of food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and other community-based agencies that works alongside Amazon’s vast network to strategically partner non-profit members and Amazon facilities to maximise the impact of these donations. -
Good 360Good360 partners with socially responsible companies to source highly needed goods and distribute them via their network of diverse non-profits that support people in need. Amazon is one of the biggest suppliers of donations to Good360, helping to provide items to low-income households, foster families, individuals with special needs or disabilities, seniors, veterans, immigrants and more. -
In Kind DirectAmazon is a long-term partner of In Kind Direct, a charity working across the UK, France and Germany to broker product giving among the members of its network. Through this partnership, we have donated more than 200,000 products, including toys, shoes, clothing and household items, to 1800 charities. -
InnaturaAmazon is a long-term partner of Innatura, a non-profit which receives products from manufacturers and retailers in Germany and distributes them for social good. Through this partnership, Amazon has donated to more than 1500 charities benefiting nearly 500,000 individuals and families in Germany with donations including toys, shoes, clothing and pharmacy items, among others.
Latest news
See how we put our scale and inventive culture to work on building a sustainable future.
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Amazon’s Sustainability Data Initiative is helping climate research become more inclusive by providing free access to data. -
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly programme makes it easier for customers to shop from UK small businesses who are meeting sustainability standards. -
The 12-week programme is designed to boost early-stage startups creating sustainability-focused products.
