Published: April 12, 2023 Updated: October 1, 2024
Nearly every American takes advantage of Amazon and Amazon Prime. It could be one of the best inventions of all time, but the excess trash associated with every order is still a large concern when it comes to being eco-friendly and environmentally conscious.
To this point, Amazon has made many strides cutting down waste. In the U.S., they “expanded the use of their recyclable paper padded mailer, replacing nearly 70% of mixed material bubble mailers in 2021”.
The composition of Amazon’s single-use plastic packaging has also changed to include more recycled content but if you don’t know how to take advantage of the additional options Amazon has available, then you may not be taking full advantage of some great opportunities to become more sustainable.
That’s why we’ve decided to share 6 tips on how to make your Amazon shopping experience more sustainable!
Request plastic free packaging – this can happen through emailing customer service or opening the chat bot once you’re signed in to your account. Because packaging is up to the distributor, your items won’t always be plastic free, but you’ll end up with less waste than you would have otherwise. This is important because the single-use plastic used for packaging is hard to recycle and even harder to keep track of when it’s disposed of incorrectly.
Visit Amazon Second Chance– Reuse, refurbishing, and recycling is the name of the game here. Second Chance provides shoppers with the information needed to find open-box and refurbished devices. It also helps when it comes to recycling your Amazon packaging and there is an option to recycle your Amazon electronics and related accessories, plus prices are discounted!
Take advantage of Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging - Amazon Certified Frustration-Free Packaging is recyclable and comes without all the extra packaging materials. There are things to know like what items are eligible for this service, but it’s still a win for sustainability!
Say goodbye to Amazon Prime – We know you love it and have become so accustomed to fast delivery BUT, this adds more to your carbon footprint, not to mention Amazon’s. Unless the items are travelling in electric vehicles, the fast transportation aspect of ordering online will only increase your environmental impact.
Shop local - When searching on Amazon, you can easily include “made in USA” in your search – in the same way you do for women-owned businesses etc.!
Use the Climate Pledge Friendly resource – this highlights products that are certified by one of the sustainability certifications featured on Amazon’s certification page or by one of their own certifications whichrecognizes products with improvements in at least one aspect of sustainability.
By implementing one or all of these 6 practices, your Amazon shopping days are bound to be better for the planet!
