Green Friday: Amazon’s ‘Frustration-Free Packaging’ reduces peak season waste

Today kicks off the “official” start of the holiday shopping season in the United States. But thanks to the efforts of retailers, such as Amazon.com, “Black Friday” is getting a little bit greener this year, in terms of packaging waste reduction.

Amazon doesn’t disclose its undeniably large carbon footprint, but after ten years on the market, the Seattle-based retailer said that its “Frustration-Free Packaging,” has eliminated 181,000 tons of packaging material and 307 million shipping boxes – enough boxes to fill more than 550,000 semi-trailers.

That’s great news from a company that, while probably one of the biggest polluters in logistics, also has the clout to push the industry towards more environmentally sound practice during today’s “Black Friday” shopping event and this coming “Cyber Monday.”

E-commerce shippers have struggled to designing packaging that is both compact and strong enough to ensure that products arrive fully intact.

Amazon said that it works with manufacturers to re-think and re-build their packaging, reducing waste throughout the supply chain while ensuring products are delivered to the customer undamaged. At the company’s Seattle Packaging Lab, Amazon tests steps that manufacturers can take to improve their packaging. “Only products that successfully pass this rigorous testing program are certified as part of Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging Program,” the company said.

“Sustainable growth for Colgate Palmolive means a focus on minimizing our environmental impact, while continuing to expand our global business,” said Mike Corbo, chief supply chain officer at Colgate Palmolive. “Packaging waste is costly – for the business and for the planet – so we’re excited to be working with Amazon to drive sustainability improvements.”