Accused of polluting too much, Amazon is taking, like Cola-Cola recently, a step towards ecological transition.
The online distribution giant will replace all its plastic packaging, including bubble wrap, with paper or cardboard by the end of the year in France, he announced in a statement on Monday.
Plastic sleeves, used to ship small products (books, cards, electronic chips, etc.) will be eliminated in favor of paper bags or cardboard envelopes "more easily recyclable".
Read also "The switch to cardboard will create an additional cost": producers fear the end of plastic packaging
Inside the packages, bubble wrap or plastic cushions will also be replaced with kraft paper, Amazon said.
Only certain items "for which it is a question of safety", such as glasses or a vase for example, can be wedged with bubble wrap, specifies the group.
"We will continue to innovate and find solutions to use even more sustainable materials," said David Lewkowitz, director of operations at Amazon France Logistique, quoted in the statement.
Amazon "is also increasing the number of products that can be shipped in their original packaging," the company said, without specifying how many will be affected.
No charter of commitments for Amazon
These measures apply only to products shipped by Amazon, and not those sent directly to consumers by third-party sellers on the site. The group does not communicate on its business volume in France, but the Kantar firm estimated the number of items purchased in France on Amazon at 333 million in 2019.
In total, Amazon claims to have already reduced the weight of its packaging by 36% since 2015, and "eliminated more than a million tonnes of packaging materials".
In France, 14 e-merchants - including CDiscount, Fnac Darty or Veepee - and the federation of e-commerce and distance selling (Fevad) signed a charter in July with the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the secretariat State to Digital, in which they commit to reducing packaging volumes and promoting reuse.
Amazon, for its part, has not signed this charter of commitments.