Amazon wants to make millions of deliveries in Europe more material-efficient by using new packaging machines. The focus is on customised boxes, lighter paper bags and innovative labelling solutions - including for shipping without additional outer packaging.
Amazon has announced the large-scale introduction of new packaging technologies in its European logistics centres. At the „Delivering the Future“ event in Dortmund, the company presented three systems that automate the packaging process and adapt it to the product being shipped. The aim is to save packaging material, reduce delivery emissions and still transport products safely.
By the end of 2025, more than 70 machines of this new generation are to be installed in Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain - over 30 of them in German logistics centres alone. Further systems are to follow by 2027.
Customised cardboard boxes, paper bags instead of plastic
A central component of the investment is the introduction of machines for the production of customised boxes. These scan each product individually and produce a suitable box - including a shipping label. The use of this technology is intended to minimise the packaging volume and air content in the parcel, especially for fragile or heavier items.
A second innovation concerns the conversion of machines that originally produced plastic envelopes: They have been modified so that robust, weatherproof paper bags can now be customised exactly to the product dimensions. According to Amazon, these new paper bags are up to 90 per cent lighter than cartons of a comparable size. On average, over 26 grams of packaging material can be saved per consignment.
Less outer packaging thanks to new labelling machine
With the „Universal Robotic Labeller“, Amazon is also relying on a labelling solution that can apply smaller shipping labels to differently shaped products - even directly to original packaging from manufacturers. In many cases, this eliminates the need to additionally pack a product in an Amazon box.
„Machine learning and automation enable us to create customised packaging while optimally protecting products,“ explained Pat Lindner, Vice President Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging at Amazon. The investment is a significant step towards „further reducing the environmental impact of deliveries for our European customers“.
Saving packaging as a long-term goal
According to Amazon, every second order in Europe is already shipped either in a lighter paper bag or without any additional Amazon packaging. Since 2015, the company has reduced the average packaging weight per delivery by over 40 percent - saving more than three million tonnes of packaging material in total.
