PACKAGING AND E-COMMERCE
Online retail giant Amazon to reduce plastic packaging in Germany / French postal service selects reusable plastic bags
 Amazon Germany's logistics centre is to replace SUP packages with paper-based bags by 2021 end (Photo: Amazon) |
Retail giant Amazon has announced plans to decrease the use of plastic packaging in Germany, adding that the country’s logistics centre will replace all single-use plastic (SUP) packages with paper-based bags or cardboard boxes by the end of 2021.
There are, however, exceptions: when third-party sellers provide products in packaging that can be relabelled for delivery, or when couriers are asked to leave products in outdoor locations during rainfall, the company said.
Related: Amazon India eliminates SUP packaging across 50 fulfilment centres
At the company’s annual meeting in May, a majority of shareholders voted down a proposal requesting a report on Amazon’s plastic packaging. As reported by Plasteurope.com, the online retailer’s board of directors was against the proposal (see Plasteurope.com of 01.06.2021).
In France, on the other hand, the postal service is turning to modern-day solutions being provided by start-ups to reduce the use of plastics in packaging. National postal service La Poste (Paris; www.laposte.fr) recently announced its partnership with Hipli (Le Havre; www.hipli.fr), a provider of reusable, recyclable plastic bags for e-commerce. Hipli claims that its foldable, postable bags – made from a mix of PET and polypropylene – can be reused up to 100 times. “We talk a lot about recycling, but it’s not the best solution,” said Laure Mandaron, director of corporate social responsibility at La Poste. “The less we produce, the less we waste, the less we pollute.”
Related: RePack’s Christof Trowitz talks circular approach with reusable PP bags
The French company’s business model sounds vaguely similar to Finnish firm RePack’s (Helsinki; www.repack.com) – which also happens to be in business with La Poste and also makes reusable, recyclable bags from PP.
The postal company’s sudden interest in these start-ups might have something to do with new laws coming into force in the country. The ministry of ecological transition’s April 2021 “3R” decree (reduce, reuse, recycle) stipulates a 20% reduction in SUP packaging by 2025. The aim is to promote reuse and replacement solutions while eliminating 100% of superfluous packaging. According to the French ministry, 2.2m t of plastic packaging are put on the market annually, with the rate of reuse said to be close to zero and the recycling rate at only 27%, according to data from 2018.
There are, however, exceptions: when third-party sellers provide products in packaging that can be relabelled for delivery, or when couriers are asked to leave products in outdoor locations during rainfall, the company said.
Related: Amazon India eliminates SUP packaging across 50 fulfilment centres
At the company’s annual meeting in May, a majority of shareholders voted down a proposal requesting a report on Amazon’s plastic packaging. As reported by Plasteurope.com, the online retailer’s board of directors was against the proposal (see Plasteurope.com of 01.06.2021).
In France, on the other hand, the postal service is turning to modern-day solutions being provided by start-ups to reduce the use of plastics in packaging. National postal service La Poste (Paris; www.laposte.fr) recently announced its partnership with Hipli (Le Havre; www.hipli.fr), a provider of reusable, recyclable plastic bags for e-commerce. Hipli claims that its foldable, postable bags – made from a mix of PET and polypropylene – can be reused up to 100 times. “We talk a lot about recycling, but it’s not the best solution,” said Laure Mandaron, director of corporate social responsibility at La Poste. “The less we produce, the less we waste, the less we pollute.”
Related: RePack’s Christof Trowitz talks circular approach with reusable PP bags
The French company’s business model sounds vaguely similar to Finnish firm RePack’s (Helsinki; www.repack.com) – which also happens to be in business with La Poste and also makes reusable, recyclable bags from PP.
The postal company’s sudden interest in these start-ups might have something to do with new laws coming into force in the country. The ministry of ecological transition’s April 2021 “3R” decree (reduce, reuse, recycle) stipulates a 20% reduction in SUP packaging by 2025. The aim is to promote reuse and replacement solutions while eliminating 100% of superfluous packaging. According to the French ministry, 2.2m t of plastic packaging are put on the market annually, with the rate of reuse said to be close to zero and the recycling rate at only 27%, according to data from 2018.
26.11.2021 Plasteurope.com [249080-0]
Published on 26.11.2021
German version of this article...