Amazon and Mondi have developed a paper-padded envelope with paper-based, shock-absorbent lining in an effort to eliminate plastic packaging components while protecting deliveries in transit.
The online retailer intends to design recyclable packaging that minimizes waste and prevents products from sustaining damage. Where this is not possible, it aims to optimize the type, material, and weight of a pack – all without compromising its safety or functionality – in hopes of avoiding waste, lowering carbon emissions, and increasing circularity.
In this regard, the new, paper-based lining is set to replace plastic bubble wrap in Amazon’s paper envelopes. Now distributed to consumers in the UK, the redesigned packaging is set to absorb stress put on the package during the delivery process and hold the product securely in place.
A ‘specially engineered’ lightweight paper is used for the outer package, while a corrugate inner lining is implemented for protection and resilience. The inner lining is ‘a few millimetres thick’, but it is said to make the whole envelope ‘much lighter’ than cardboard boxes of an equivalent size and avoid an average of 44g of packaging per shipment.
Multiple ridges are also built into the envelope to fold it around the product within, thus making it more flexible than its plastic-lined alternative. Since it also negates the need for paper dunnage or other additional padding materials, according to Amazon, the pack is described as ‘easy to fill’.
The envelope comes in three sizes and can be applied to bulk deliveries as well as single items. It can apparently be used for everyday purchases like skincare products, health supplements, home and office items, and toys.
“Amazon stopped using traditional bubble-wrap padded envelopes in Europe several years ago, which presented a challenge to develop light, flexible and fully recyclable paper packaging that provides the same protection,” said Thais Blumer, European head of Sustainable Packaging for Amazon. “Achieving both low weight and maximum protection with a 100% recyclable paper envelope was not an easy task, but these envelopes are easy to pack, simple for customers to recycle at home, and enable damage-free deliveries.”
“Together with Amazon, we spent several months testing our designs, evaluating various padding options such as honeycomb and embossed bubble paper,” added Pedro Cuesta, a packaging engineer at Mondi. “Ultimately, open-flute padding — a flat paper sheet attached to a sheet of ridged paper — proved to be the best solution.
“Creating a plastic-free padded mailer for e-commerce packaging has been an exciting collaborative journey towards a more sustainable future. We are proud that Amazon customers all over Europe could soon be receiving orders in these envelopes.”
In Europe, over 50% of Amazon’s shipments are now said to arrive in reduce, recyclable delivery packaging (e.g. a paper bag or cardboard envelope); and, since 2019, 700 million shipments have reportedly been delivered through its Ships in Product Packaging programme, meaning no additional Amazon packaging is applied to the product.
It claims to have reduced packaging weight per shipment by 43% since 2015, avoiding over 3 million metric tons of packaging materials in doing so.
Reducing packaging is also expected to help Amazon fit more packages into its delivery vans, reduce the number of journeys needed to deliver products, and help the company pursue its goal of achieving net-zero carbon across its operations by 2040.
In other news, it claims to have replaced 95% of plastic air pillows used in its North American delivery packaging with paper filler – a move expected to avoid nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows every year and help eliminate plastic delivery packaging from its North American fulfilment centres. A complete phase-out is scheduled for the end of the year.
Mondi has taken its own steps to replace conventional plastic packages with paper alternatives; its recent partnership with Welton, Bibby & Baron has resulted in premium bags for pre-packed fresh bread products, made using Mondi’s FunctionalBarrier Paper Reduce – the ‘thinnest paper possible’ in its barrier paper range. The new bags can be recycled via kerbside collection in the UK.
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