India Tests New Scalable Solutions
Amazon has signed The Climate Pledge as part of its decarbonisation and net-zero transition, aiming to reach net-zero by 2040. At Amazon India, sustainability is deeply tied to this broader commitment, with packaging being one area where the company is making a visible difference.
Amazon India has taken a significant step by shipping nearly half of customer orders from its fulfilment network in their original packaging, with just an address label added by Amazon, or with reduced packaging. The company has rapidly scaled its ‘Ships in Product Packaging’ programme, increasing orders shipped without added packaging by over 80% since 2021.
Alongside this, Amazon has made significant strides in eliminating single-use plastic. Since replacing thin-film single-use plastic with paper and cardboard-based packaging in 2019, the company has avoided 9,100 metric tonnes of plastic packaging in India. Today, Amazon is making deliveries with reduced or no packaging in over 300 cities across India.
This is a significant leap from just nine cities in 2019, and the number continues to grow. Amazon’s efforts in India are also influencing its global sustainable-packaging roadmap, with many practices developed and implemented in the country being adapted across other markets.
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India plays a key role in Amazon’s global sustainable-packaging roadmap, serving as both an innovation hub and a testing ground for scalable solutions. The country was among the first regions where Amazon replaced thin-film single-use plastic with paper and cardboard-based alternatives.
Since implementing these changes in 2020, Amazon India has avoided using more than 9,100 metric tonnes of plastic. Innovations like packing paper and paper cushions are also being studied and adapted across other markets. Amazon’s leadership role as a founding member of the India Plastics Pact reflects its commitment to systemic change.
The company is promoting a shift from a linear to a circular economy approach. As circular economy practices become more widespread, companies like Amazon are at the forefront of this change.
Over the next 3–5 years, Amazon India will continue to focus on simplifying packaging, reducing waste, and increasing the use of recyclable and reusable materials across its operations. They will continue scaling programmes that avoid adding Amazon packaging altogether.
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Amazon will also build on the progress made with paper-based alternatives and work with industry partners and government-led platforms to shape sustainable packaging practices. As customer expectations and environmental regulations evolve, the company’s packaging innovation will continue to balance protection, efficiency, and sustainability.
Amazon is closely tracking the upcoming Environment Protection Rules and is aligning its operations to meet these requirements. It already has systems and processes in place to manage single-use plastic packaging waste responsibly.
Amazon launched Sustainability Exchange last year, making proprietary decarbonisation resources available to all, for free, to accelerate supply-chain decarbonisation. The company wants to empower companies across all industries to take steps to decarbonise and develop sustainable operations.
