Report: Amazon’s plastic waste down globally but growing in U.S.

The amount of plastic in Amazon packaging has grown 9.6% in the United States, while it has declined elsewhere in the world, according to a report Thursday from the U.S. conservation group Oceana.

The group estimates that Amazon generated 208 million pounds of U.S. plastic packaging waste in 2022 and is calling for the company to phase out plastic packaging in the United States and to reduce the total amount of plastic it uses companywide by at least one-third by 2030.

“Amazon’s failure to reduce plastic in the U.S. is troubling. The company has dramatically reduced plastic packaging in other major markets, including India and Europe,” Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s senior vice president for strategic initiatives, said in a statement. “Why are

U.S. customers being left behind?”

Amazon called the analysis misleading but did not disclose U.S.-specific figures on how much plastic waste its packaging generates.

Pat Lindner, the company’s vice president for mechatronics and sustainable packaging, said, “Amazon is committed to reducing or eliminating packaging altogether, including the use of single-use plastic, and we’ve shown this by sharing consistent and transparent updates on our progress.”

Oceana estimates that Amazon’s U.S. plastic waste would encircle the Earth more than 200 times.

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing in 2022, Amazon shareholders asked the company’s board to research a way to reduce plastic use by onethird in line with a Pew study recommendation.

Amazon, Oceana said, has reported an 11.6% reduction in plastic packaging waste globally in 2022 compared to 2021. In Europe, Amazon said it has replaced single-use plastic packaging with 100% recyclable paper and cardboard.

As much as 22 million pounds of Amazon’s plastic waste ends up in waterways and oceans, according to Oceana, identifying plastic film, used heavily by Amazon, as the kind of plastic that is most deadly to large marine animals in nearshore ocean areas.

“The company can solve its plastic problem on a global basis now and into the future if it commits to do so — and follows through,” Littlejohn said.

Amazon said it has started “a multiyear effort to eliminate plastic delivery packaging from our U.S. automated fulfillment centers.”