More than two thirds of Amazon customers in India would prefer to receive their orders without any cardboard boxes or paper bags, according to a study by the e-commerce giant. “Customers are happiest to receive items such as clothing apparel, detergent and stationery in the manufacturer’s original packaging, with just the addition of an address label,” the study said.
For certain eligible orders, such as toilet rolls and pallets of beverage drinks, Amazon uses a reusable crate or a tote bag. Since 2021, Amazon has increased the number of orders sent to customers in India without any added delivery packaging by 83%.
Not using added delivery packaging such as cardboard boxes and paper bags keeps the shipments lighter and in turn, reduces delivery emissions per package, the study said. Also, customers don’t need to recycle additional cardboard boxes or paper bags.
Since 2015, Amazon has globally reduced the weight of outbound packaging per shipment by 41% on average and eliminated over 2 million tons of packaging material, it said. Items such as tech accessories, homeware, home improvement products, shoes and luggage items are often shipped with no added packaging.
“Wherever possible, we want to eliminate packaging altogether. One way we do this is by working with manufacturers to design packaging that’s capable of shipping safely, without additional paper bags, envelopes or boxes from us,” said Abhinav Singh, vice president – operations, Amazon India.
Among the product categories where customers still feel the need for added packaging are contraceptive devices, haemorrhoid cream and bikini wax strips, as well as some high-value items such as mobile phones and laptops. Items such as liquids, fragile goods and personal care items that need additional protection during transportation continue to be shipped with added packaging.
