Amazon Customers Ask for Plastic-Free Packaging

94% of the UK’s Amazon shoppers say they are concerned about plastic pollution, according to a survey by YouGov.

The news comes as part of ocean conservation organisation Oceana’s campaign, aimed at encouraging Amazon to offer plastic-free and recyclable packaging options.

Respondents to the YouGov survey said they wished to reduce plastic consumption when shopping online, with 81% saying they a plastic-free option should be made available, and 52% saying they would be willing to shop elsewhere if this option was unavailable.

The outbreak of Covid-19 has also influenced online shoppers’ feelings on packaging.

61% of respondents said that they were shopping online more often due to the outbreak of Covid-19, while 56% said that the extra packaging they were receiving when shopping online during the outbreak bothered them.

Sam Sutherland, co-founder of plastic pollution campaign group A Plastic Planet, commented on the survey, “We applaud this research that irrefutably proves that we, the shoppers, no longer want the plastic guilt.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Amazon said, “Amazon continues to innovate and find new ways to protect the environment by developing fully recyclable packaging that also helps minimise carbon emissions. Amazon is also moving to packaging material options that are fully compatible with paper or plastic recycling streams.

“We are also exploring alternative solutions for less common materials that cannot be recycled. We are looking across our entire operations network to incorporate more of our own recycled plastic in products, packaging, and operational processes.”