Plastic rocks on an isolated island
The sombre message of stones made of plastic found on an uninhabited island far from the Brazilian coast.
Amazon refuses to share information about its plastic footprint
8 July 2021
Amazon sends billions of packages around the world every year, many of them packaged in plastic. Amazon’s contribution to the plastic soup is huge. The American NGO Oceana estimates that the online shopping giant used 211 million kilos of packaging plastic in 2019. Of this, more than 10 million kilos may have ended up in the sea.
Amazon disputes the figures, but has never stated how much plastic packaging it does use. The company refuses to share any information either on its plastic footprint or how much of that plastic ends up in the sea.
Amazon has a large responsibility in terms of the use of single use plastic packaging, but customers do not even have the option to choose plastic free delivery.
INCREASE IN ONLINE SHOPPING
All predictions are that online shopping will increase in the coming years. The pandemic has dramatically pushed up online shopping. On Prime Day 2021 (21 and 22 June), Amazon sold more than 250 million items online. Every year, Amazon gives companies the opportunity to sell their products through the platform at a discount. Compared to the previous time, October last year, the turnover grew by over 100 percent.
It is highly relevant to know what Amazon’s plastic footprint is, but anyone reading the recently published Amazon Sustainability 2020 Report will find no information about it at all.
NOT TRANSPARENT ABOUT PLASTIC CONSUMPTION
As You sow, the American shareholders movement, put on the pressure. Last May, before Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting, they presented a proposal calling on the company to publish a report about its plastic consumption at the end of 2021. The report must also state how much Amazon plastic ends up in the environment. The proposal, discouraged by the Board, was not passed. With more than one third of the votes in favour, it appeared that the shareholders are concerned about the issue.
AMAZON MUST MAKE PLASTIC FREE ORDERS POSSIBLE: SIGN THE PETITION
Customers and discount hunters have no choice in how their purchased products are packaged. More than 750,000 people have already signed the petition calling on Amazon to offer plastic-free packaging options. Also sellers who use the platform should have the opportunity to be able to offer their products without bubble wrap and plastic air bags.
That this is still not an option shows that Amazon is disinterested in one of the world’s worst environmental problems.
Plastic Soup Foundation supports the petition and calls on everyone to sign it.
You may also be interested in:
More news
Read more
EU ban on microplastics in cosmetics: too slow and too limited
Cosmetics companies selling personal care products without microplastics are calling for the swift introduction of a total ban in an open letter.
Sungai Watch prevents Bali’s plastic waste from reaching the ocean
In Bali, more and more rivers are being cleaned from plastic waste every day. What do Dutch travel suitcases made from recycled ocean plastic have to do with that?
Chemicals plastic cause overweight
Scientists suspect that fat formation in human bodies is stimulated by plastic.
