Amazon Sustainable Packaging Initiative Alleviates ‘Wrap Rage’

Amazon says it’s winning the battle against plastic clamshell cases and wire ties — part of the company’s “Frustration-Free” sustainable packaging initiative.

The initiative, which began five years ago with 19 products, now has more than 200,000 in easy-to-open, recyclable packaging designed to alleviate “wrap rage,” the company says. Amazon works with more than 2,000 manufacturers including Fisher-Price, Mattel, Unilever, Seventh Generation, Belkin, Victorinox Swiss Army, Logitech to deliver products inside smaller, recyclable cardboard boxes that reduce the overall amount of packaging used while still protecting what’s inside.

To date, Amazon has shipped more than 75 million Frustration-Free items to 175 countries. The company says Frustration-Free Packaging has:

• Eliminated 58.9 million square feet of cardboard.
• Removed 24.7 million pounds of packaging.
• Reduced box sizes by 14.5 million cubic feet.

Last year Amazon launched Vine.com, a shopping site that sells only green products, including organic food, apparel, accessories and cleaning supplies made by  companies such as Seventh Generation, Method, Brita and Burt’s Bees. Vine reviews claims of vendors to verify products are either organic, natural, energy- or water-efficient, run on their own renewable energy, made from sustainable materials or contribute to a healthier home, according to the company.