Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find sustainable and zero-waste products in local stores. Shopping on Amazon is convenient—but it’s substantially less sustainable than supporting small businesses. Still, the platform may offer lower prices on some items that make it more affordable to purchase eco-friendly products. If you don’t have room in your budget to order items through other marketplaces or from independent merchants, there are some steps you can take to make Amazon purchases more sustainable.
How To Improve Your Amazon Sustainability Habits
To request plastic-free packaging with Amazon contact customer support through the live chat option in your account dashboard. Tell the customer service rep you’d like to avoid plastic packaging and extra packaging where possible.
Unfortunately, the rep can only make a note in your account that notifies distributors of your shipping preferences. Case in point, I’ve submitted the request a few times, but still receive occasional packages with plastic. Even so, you should start to see less plastic and more paper-based packing materials.
To further reduce the environmental impact of your Amazon purchases consider these other tips:
✨ Choose products with Frustration-Free Packaging to receive less packaging with each order
✨ Opt for Amazon Day Delivery so your items ship in fewer boxes and deliveries
✨ Shop for used, pre-owned, and open box products on Amazon Warehouse
✨ Donate a percentage of eligible purchase prices to an environmental charity by shopping through AmazonSmile
✨ Recycle clean packing materials by bringing them to a participating drop-off location or giving them to a local UPS store
Amazon Sustainability Shopping Resources
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