Amazon has introduced a new “Less packaging, more smiles” initiative aimed at helping reduce packaging waste. That’s based on recent reports citing the companies announcement. The primary goal, of course, is to use less packing materials. But the company is also walking customers through novel recycling ideas for their boxes.
There’s quite a lot that Amazon is putting into its ‘Less packaging’ initiative, as part of its “The Climate Pledge.” The pledge has not been without controversy. But the underlying goal is to lower its overall carbon footprint. That’s in pursuit of becoming a ‘net zero’ carbon company by 2040.
To that end, the company has set its engineers to the task. They’ve reportedly been calculating how much material can be saved on packaging at Amazon. Of course, that’s without damaging goods carried in those boxes. Using less material, the company says, means less weight, less paper wasted, and more orders in each delivery. On the latter point, that will also result in fewer trips as well as less fuel being burned by delivery services.
So what does “Less packaging, more smiles” have to do with box forts?
On top of saving its own packaging, Amazon is looking to encourage customers to recycle their boxes via its ‘Less packaging’ initiative. And part of that includes providing a list of projects from box forts to rockets and robot costumes. Amazon has listed those projects out as ways to reuse the boxes before sending them off for recycling. And each comes with its own set of instructions to guide customers along.
There are six projects in all, including those listed already. Others include making a “box” car, creating a windmill for a round of mini-golf, or putting together a box-style cat condo.
That means users can put their Amazon boxes to good use, giving them a second life and keeping them out of landfills — at least for a while.
What else is Amazon doing?
Revealed back in late 2019, Amazon’s other Climate Pledge goals included shifting to 100-percent renewable energy by 2030 and ordering a plethora of electric delivery vehicles. That’s in addition to a $100 million investment in reforestation and more. Ultimately, the company hoped to hold to the Paris Agreement. And more specifically to meet it 10-years early.
The initiative has spawned controversy though, as noted above. Most notably, that’s because it still has close ties with gas and oil companies.