Circular Economy

Graphic of the different elements of a package surrounding an Alexa device.

Our customers want right-sized, recyclable packaging that minimizes waste and ensures damage-free delivery. We work to reinvent and simplify our sustainable packaging options using a science-based approach that combines lab testing, machine learning, materials science, and manufacturing partnerships to scale sustainable change across the packaging supply chain.

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Frustration-Free Packaging

As of June 2021, we have reduced the weight of outbound packaging by over 36% and eliminated more than 1 million tons of packaging material since 2015—the equivalent of 2 billion shipping boxes.

36%

Reduction

Outbound packaging by weight
1 million

Tons

Packaging material eliminated
2 million

Products

Qualify under our FFP Programs

Recycling

Amazon is committed to reducing our environmental footprint through recycling initiatives in our own operations and partnerships that support the development of recycling infrastructure across the industry.

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Amazon employees volunteer at a community food bank in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

Product Donations

When we have surplus inventory in our fulfillment network, Amazon donates the eligible items to charity organizations, giving products a new life, reducing waste, and helping to build stronger communities. Amazon contributed more than 25 million products to our global charity partners in 2020.

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Reducing Food Loss and Waste

We are committed to reducing food loss and waste within our U.S. operations by 50% by 2030. We joined the Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions group, an effort jointly administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Agriculture. As part of our commitment, we will be developing food waste reporting, generating source reduction metrics, sharing food waste reduction programs and progress on our website, building new food disposition paths, and expanding existing donation programs.

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Amazon Second Chance

Amazon Second Chance is a central hub that helps customers eliminate waste and give products and packaging a second life. It is available across the globe with offerings in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Japan.

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Amazon Trade-In

Amazon makes it easy for customers to retire their products without sending them into the waste stream. Through Amazon Trade-In, customers in the U.S., UK, and Germany can trade in thousands of eligible items including Amazon devices, cell phones, video games and consoles, and more in exchange for an Amazon.com Gift Card.
Device Recycling

For electronic equipment that cannot be repaired or traded in, customers can recycle their items free of charge through programs like Amazon Device Recycling in the U.S. and Recycle with Amazon in Europe. These programs route electronic equipment to recycling partners who dismantle the items and ensure that they are recycled and re-purposed into new products.
Amazon Warehouse

Amazon Warehouse offers refurbished and returned products, which undergo a rigorous 20-point inspection process before being sold at a discount.
Amazon Renewed

Amazon Renewed offers like-new refurbished products, such as electronics, home appliances, and more. All products are professionally inspected and tested to work and look like new, and are backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
Pre-owned Amazon Devices

Pre-owned Amazon Devices provides customers with access to fully functional pre-owned products that have been screened and tested by Amazon.
Product Support

Amazon encourages customers to fix items before replacing or disposing of them. We offer free Product Support in seven global geographies, providing customers with technical assistance, replacement parts, and repair services for select items, helping them maximize the life of the things they already own.
Disposing of Amazon Packaging

Amazon Second Chance helps customers responsibly dispose of the packaging used to deliver Amazon orders, including Amazon device packaging and Amazon Grocery deliveries. Customers can view recycling instructions by package type on the Amazon Second Chance site, or look for instructions in their ship confirmation emails on how to properly dispose of packaging included in each shipment.

Partnerships

Closed Loop Fund

Amazon invested $10 million in the Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund to finance recycling and circular economy infrastructure in North America. Through this investment, Amazon aims to increase product and packaging recycling, ensuring that material gets back into the manufacturing supply chain. Over the next decade, our investment in the Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund will improve curbside recycling for 3 million homes in communities across the U.S., diverting 1 million tons of recyclable material from landfills and eliminating the equivalent of 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Amazon joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network in 2020 as part of our ongoing commitment to reduce waste and share success stories across industries. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Foundation works with, and inspires, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilise systems solutions at scale, globally.
Feeding America

Amazon partners with Feeding America to direct our surplus inventory to communities in need. Feeding America is a U.S. network of food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies that works alongside Amazon’s vast network to strategically partner nonprofit members and Amazon facilities to maximize the impact of these donations.
Good 360

Good360 partners with socially responsible companies to source highly needed goods and distribute them through their network of diverse nonprofits that support people in need. Amazon is one of the biggest suppliers of donations to Good360, helping to provide items to low-income households, foster families, individuals with special needs or disabilities, seniors, veterans, immigrants, and more.
In Kind Direct

Amazon is a long-term partner of In Kind Direct, a charity working across the UK, France, and Germany to broker product giving among the members of its network. Through this partnership, we have donated more than 200,000 products, including toys, shoes, clothing, and household items, to 1,800 charities.
Innatura

Amazon is a long-term partner of Innatura, a nonprofit which receives products from manufacturers and retailers in Germany and distributes them for social good. Through this partnership, Amazon has donated to more than 1,500 charities benefiting nearly 500,000 individuals and families in Germany with donations including toys, shoes, clothing, and drugstore items, among others.