3 ways Amazon is evolving packaging materials, formats and systems
Amazon released its 2025 sustainability report, disclosing the latest progress in its packaging portfolio. The report shows that 52% of North American fulfillment centers no longer use plastic delivery packaging, the share of flexible packaging globally continues to rise, and the corrugated box share remains stable. The company is further optimizing packaging efficiency and sustainability through automated custom packaging, reducing label sizes, and piloting anti-over-packaging measures.
Amazon released its 2025 sustainability report this month, including updates on its packaging mix. Overall, Amazon reported that it reduced carbon emissions per shipped unit by 7% last year.
Less than half of North American fulfillment centers shipped plastic delivery packaging
Amazon reported that 52% of fulfillment centers in North America did not ship plastic delivery packaging in 2025. Shipments containing single-use plastic delivery packaging have fallen in recent years. In 2023, 65% of outbound shipments contained plastic. That figure declined to 37% in 2024 and 27% in 2025, the company reported.
Packaging format split is staying about the same globally
| Flexible packaging | Corrugated boxes | Ships in product packaging | |
| 2025 | 51% | 38% | 11% |
| 2024 | 50% | 38% | 12% |
| 2023 | 50% | 38% | 12% |
| 2022 | 49% | 40% | 11% |
| 2021 | 49% | 43% | 8% |
Cardboard boxes continue to have a smaller share than flexible packaging. Amazon credits part of this shift to its “regionalization” efforts in the United States. Reducing handling points and shortening delivery routes means less of a need for cardboard boxes, enabling greater use of lighter-weight paper packaging.
Rightsizing, smaller labels, less overboxing are focus areas going forward
The company briefly highlighted a few newer material reduction initiatives it’s trying internationally, where packaging sustainability efforts are frequently ahead of North America.
In rightsizing, Amazon said that beginning in 2025, it installed automated packaging machines in European fulfillment centers to create custom-sized cardboard boxes and paper bags to avoid excess material. Amazon also reported that it began approximately halving shipping label size in Japan to reduce overall adhesive and paper use.
As Amazon looks to expand its ships in product packaging initiative, it noted that it currently sometimes sends out eligible and ineligible products together to reduce the overall number of shipments — but this can result in additional material being used than if an eligible item had been shipped on its own.
“We are piloting a new initiative in 2026 to prevent over-boxing of eligible products when they are shipped alongside ineligible items,” the report states.