- Amazon is testing reusable cardboard boxes from Danish startup RE-ZIP, aiming to reduce single-use packaging waste across multiple European countries during peak holiday shopping.
- Customers can easily return the boxes by scanning a QR code and dropping them off at collection points, with each box designed for two to four uses before it is recycled.
- The pilot is part of Amazon’s Sustainability Accelerator program, providing real-world data on costs, durability, and customer engagement to potentially scale sustainable packaging solutions globally.
Amazon is piloting a reusable packaging solution developed by Danish startup RE-ZIP, marking the largest test in the e-commerce giant’s efforts to reduce packaging waste. Through this collaboration, Amazon hopes to gauge consumer response to sustainable packaging, while tracking operational efficiencies such as durability and return rates. For RE-ZIP, this represents an opportunity to bring its innovative circular packaging to a broader market.
The reusable cardboard boxes, designed to fold easily, allow customers to return them after use. Customers simply scan a QR code on the box using an app and drop it off at a convenient collection point, where it will eventually return to Amazon’s distribution centers for inspection and cleaning. “We have rolled out the project in several countries, but the collaboration with Amazon is the biggest single test we’ve ever conducted,” said Bo Bach Boddum, CEO and founder of RE-ZIP. “That’s why we’re very excited to see how Amazon’s customers will receive our patented cardboard boxes.”
Large-Scale Testing Across Europe
The Amazon trial includes 45,000 RE-ZIP boxes, originating from Amazon’s Lauwin-Planque distribution center and distributed to customers across France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Austria. This test coincides with peak holiday shopping, allowing Amazon to monitor how well these reusable boxes perform under high-volume shipping conditions. The goal is to assess consumer engagement with the return process, gauge packaging durability over multiple uses, and evaluate processing efficiency at logistics facilities.
Heather Clancy , writing in Trellis, reported that Amazon is using a two-pronged approach in the trial, with both RE-ZIP’s cardboard boxes and French-based Hipli’s recycled plastic mailers. Between the two companies, Amazon’s pilot encompasses approximately 100,000 orders, with Hipli handling 50,000 orders from the Montélimar fulfillment center. Hipli’s parcels, which are also designed for return and reuse, can be used multiple times, a metric Amazon is tracking closely. This large-scale, multi-country experiment offers Amazon a real-world testing ground for reusable packaging solutions.
A Step Towards Amazon’s Sustainability Goals
Amazon has been steadily increasing its focus on sustainable packaging. Over the past decade, the company claims to have eliminated more than 2 million pounds of packaging through recyclable materials and, since 2020, cut 37,150 tons of plastic by transitioning to paper mailers. However, single-use plastic remains substantial, totaling 85,916 tons in 2022, according to the company. Reusable packaging could provide a pathway to reduce this footprint further, although Amazon has been relatively quiet about its plans for a comprehensive reuse strategy.
This pilot is part of the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator, which, since its inception in 2022, has provided over €1 million in grants and credits to startups across Europe and the UK. Amazon’s Sustainability Director, Justine Mahler, said, “The Amazon Sustainability Accelerator is a testament to Amazon’s commitment to supporting innovation and driving positive change. By providing a real-world testing ground for unique and cutting-edge technologies, we’re not only reducing our environmental impact but also creating a blueprint for more sustainable practices across the industry.”
Challenges and Opportunities
One of the main obstacles to reusable packaging adoption is cost. A McKinsey analysis cited by Clancy reveals that reusable mailer bags can increase costs by up to 50 percent, while boxes like those used in the Amazon trial could be as much as 200 percent more expensive than single-use packaging. Emissions can also be 10-40 percent higher due to the transportation footprint involved in returning and reprocessing reusable packages. Whether Amazon will pass these additional costs on to consumers if the program is scaled up remains uncertain.
While Amazon has not disclosed the annual volume of its shipments, it reportedly delivered over 7 billion packages to Prime members in 2023 alone, with Europe accounting for 2 billion of these orders. The scale of this pilot could have a substantial impact if extended, with reusable packaging potentially cutting down on millions of single-use packages over time.
RE-ZIP’s reusable cardboard boxes are designed to be used two to four times, depending on the condition upon return. Once they have reached the end of their usable life, these boxes can be recycled through standard household recycling streams, adding to their sustainable appeal. “The pilot will give us important knowledge regarding how to reduce packaging consumption,” Boddum explained, as Amazon and RE-ZIP work together to analyze operational performance and customer satisfaction.
The Future of Amazon’s Reusable Packaging Initiatives
Once the trial is complete, Amazon plans to evaluate the overall performance and consumer reception of RE-ZIP’s boxes to determine whether the initiative can be expanded. If successful, Amazon may consider rolling out similar reusable packaging options in additional regions, taking a significant step toward its sustainability goals. As the global leader in e-commerce, Amazon’s commitment to reusable packaging could set a precedent for the industry and accelerate the adoption of reusables.
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
