Amazon began transitioning away from plastic filler in October 2023, collaborating with suppliers to source curbside recyclable paper fillers
Amazon replaces 95% of plastic packaging with recycled paper fillers in North America
Change offers same or better protection to products while reducing waste and promoting sustainability initiatives
Transition marks Amazon's largest reduction effort to date, eliminating nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually
Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, has announced a significant reduction in plastic packaging by replacing 95% of plastic air pillows with paper fillers made from 100% recycled content in North America. This transition marks Amazon's largest reduction effort to date and will help eliminate nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually. The move comes as a response to growing concerns over the environmental impact of plastic packaging, particularly in marine environments where plastic film is a major pollutant and the most common form of marine plastic litter.
Amazon began transitioning away from plastic filler in October 2023 and has collaborated with suppliers to source paper fillers that are also curbside recyclable. This change will offer the same or better protection to products as plastic air pillows while reducing waste and promoting sustainability initiatives.
The e-commerce giant has previously taken steps towards reducing packaging waste, such as launching the Ships in Product Packaging program in 2015, which aimed to reduce the use of Amazon's signature brown box and instead ship products in their original packaging. Amazon also made similar commitments to remove plastic pillows in Europe in 2022 and single-use plastic packaging in India in 2020.
Environmental groups, including Oceana, have welcomed this move but called for further reductions in single-use packaging like padded plastic envelopes. Amazon's commitment to reducing its use of plastic packaging is a significant step towards addressing the environmental impact of online retail and promoting more sustainable practices.
Amazon is replacing plastic air pillows with recycled paper filler in North America
Plastic film, used to make the air pillows, is a major pollutant and the most common form of marine plastic litter
Plastic film can be deadly to wildlife including sea turtles and sea birds and generally cannot be composted or recycled in curbside programs
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes several statements that are factual and do not contain any logical fallacies. However, there is an instance of an appeal to authority when the author quotes Oceana as calling for further reductions in single-use packaging. This does not affect the overall score significantly as it is a minor infraction.
Oceana, the ocean conservancy group that has long sparred with Amazon over its plastic use, called the move ‘welcome news for the oceans and the company’s customers.’
Amazon has replaced 95% of plastic air pillows in North America with paper filler
Reduction effort will avoid nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually
Paper filler offers same or better protection to products than plastic air pillows
Paper filler is curbside recyclable and made from 100% recycled content
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains several instances of Appeals to Authority fallacies. The author quotes Pat Lindner and Christian Garcia making statements about the benefits of paper filler and their pride in the transition from plastic air pillows to paper filler. These statements do not provide any logical reasoning or evidence for why paper filler is better than plastic air pillows, they simply state that it is. Additionally, there are several instances of Dichotomous Depictions where the author presents two options as if they are the only possibilities (using as little packaging as possible to avoid waste vs. ensuring that customers receive their items undamaged).
We're constantly inventing and thinking big to make our packaging small.
The removal of 95% of our plastic air pillows is another step in our path to avoid and reduce packaging...and part of our multi-year effort to remove plastic delivery packaging from North America fulfillment centers.
To date, this will be Amazon’s largest plastic packaging reduction effort in North America and will avoid nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually.
We've found that our teammates in our fulfillment centers love it [paper filler], too...And I’m proud to be a part of a change that allows customers to recycle at home.
This builds on Amazon’s ongoing investment in reducing packaging and increasing curbside recyclability across all of our operations, while ensuring products get to customers undamaged.
Amazon has already swapped 95% of its plastic air pillows for recyclable paper in North America and expects to fully remove the plastic pillows by the end of the year.
The change in North America will save nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually, marking Amazon’s largest reduction of plastic in North America to date.
Amazon made a similar commitment to remove plastic pillows in Europe in 2022 and to remove single-use plastic packaging in India in 2020.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it quotes Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president for strategic initiatives at Oceana, stating that 'Amazon can solve its plastic problem on a global basis now and into the future if it commits to do so.' This statement is an opinion and does not provide any logical reasoning or evidence to support the claim. Additionally, there are several instances of inflammatory rhetoric used throughout the article, such as 'years of criticism,' 'nearly 10% increase,' and '208 million pounds of plastic packaging waste.' These statements are intended to elicit an emotional response from the reader rather than providing factual information. However, no formal fallacies were found in the article.
]Amazon can solve its plastic problem on a global basis now and into the future if it commits to do so[/
Amazon has replaced 95% of plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America
Plans to stop using plastic air packaging by the end of this year
Eliminating almost 15 billion plastic air pillows annually
Paper filler is made with 100% recycled content and offers the same or better protection as plastic air pillows
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes an appeal to authority by quoting Matt Littlejohn from Oceana and stating Amazon's plans to eliminate plastic air pillows. However, the author does not commit any formal or informal fallacies in her own assertions.
Amazon says the paper filler 'Offers the same, if not better, protection.'
Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s senior vice president of strategic initiative, says in a statement 'Amazon needs to build on this momentum and fulfill its multiyear commitment to transition its North America fulfillment centers away from plastic.'
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