Find out how we invent and test new packaging to reduce waste, ensure that products reach their destination intact and put an end to this feeling of wrath.
For the 10th anniversary of the Unboxing Unbox program, we share five things you probably do not know about how we invent, create, test and certify packaging for customers and manufacturers.
- Our Unboxing packaging programs are designed to produce less waste and put an end to this feeling of “rage to packaging”.
Since their launch in November 2008 with a total of 19 items, our Unboxing Unbox packaging programs have come to include three levels of certification and several other initiatives focused on reducing packaging waste in our packaging range. These packaging programs benefit customers, businesses and the environment. The Unboxing Unbox program is designed without the use of plastic shells, wire,and another duplicate packaging. The opening is extremely simple and 100% recyclable and put an end to the feeling of “rage to packaging” experienced by customers. Certified products ready to be shipped under the Unboxing Unbox packaging program are delivered without additional packaging and arrive intact at our customers’ homes. Over the last 10 years, our sustainable packaging initiatives have eliminated more than 244,000 tonnes of packaging materials, eliminating the need for 500 million shipping cartons. Our programs have reduced packaging waste by 16%, eliminating the need for 305 million shipping cartons in 2017 alone.
- We have created a laboratory to test the strength of the packaging and to ensure that the products arrive perfectly intact at their destination.
Damaged items frustrate customers, create waste and increase costs. So we work hard to protect the products to their final destination. By carefully testing products in the Amazon packaging lab, located in Seattle and in distribution centers around the world, we identify specific steps that manufacturers can take to improve their packaging. The lab’s Amazon packaging engineering team drops compresses, shakes and jostles thousands of parcels a year with machines that accurately simulate the entire journey of a package to customers’ homes. Only products that pass this rigorous testing program are certified as part of our Unpack packaging program without getting upset.
- We work alongside with manufacturers to invent better packaging.
We work with manufacturers around the world to help them innovate and improve their packaging, reducing waste and costs along the supply chain. Based on specific performance data and statistics on each of the products that manufacturers sell through Amazon, brand owners and our packaging team can work together in our lab to create a new packaging for a specific product and the product. Test the same day.
- Customer feedback helps improve packaging and innovate.
Did you know that you can contact us to send us your comments about your packaging? Every year, we receive millions of photos and testimonials about packaging that worked well, such as Unpacking packaging, but also when packaging did not meet customers’ expectations. Our packaging team reviews these comments and works with manufacturers to continually improve packaging design and delivery.
- We help customers make more sustainable choices.
Customers can search for products available in an Unpack package without getting upset, and then choose this option before adding products to their shopping cart. This appears on the product’s detailed page, similar to options such as color or size.
Do you have other ideas to share on our packaging? Amazon’s customer service and packaging teams around the world invite you to share them with them. Submit your comments here.
To learn more about how we put our inventive culture at the service of sustainable development, visit our website.
Learn more about the Unpack packaging program without getting upset.