I can only assume attitudes towards plastics are different in the US to Europe? Here, sustainable packaging has become expected. If there's a non-plastic way to package a product, that is what consumers expect.<p>Just today I watched a video about Papa John's where they proudly proclaimed moving from cardboard packaging to plastic for "visuals" (<a href="https://youtu.be/9RXObjS639M?t=457" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/9RXObjS639M?t=457</a>). This just wouldn't wash in Europe.
It’s the multiple layers that get me. Frequently things are triple wrapped in plastic between underlying supplier(s) and amazon<p>Plastics has its merits on weather proofing sure but come on
Every single return Ive done or seen at my drop offs goes into a single use plastic bag + plastic from the tape they use. 99% of my items could ship in a paper bag and don't need plastic bubble wrap. The bubble bag or plastic bag is always completely oversized for the item. I could go on but I think everyone knows the same form their own experience with amazon.
I've become more and more cynical about the incentives involved in recycling. There's not much transparency regarding what happens to to the various types of materials we all collect, sort and "recycle". Localities and countries compete to claim that they "recycle XX% of XYZ" but no-one's actually looking at what happens to the containers of XYZ once they're taken away from your recycling point.<p>"The European Union’s decision to ban exports of plastic waste in and outside Europe is threatening to collapse the market for the collection and recycling of plastic packaging"[0]<p>Although in this case banning exports of plastic waste might actually be the right thing to do, you do wonder* what was happening to all that plastic waste that was "recycled" over the decades.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.euractiv.com/section/circular-materials/news/recycling-market-in-europe-faces-collapse-after-eu-waste-export-ban/" rel="nofollow">https://www.euractiv.com/section/circular-materials/news/rec...</a><p>* Spoiler: much of it wasn't recycled at all...
I remember when they put "frustration free packaging" on the agenda in a time when that was never talked about. Today they are the the slowest e-commerce company to ship packages to me except for Temu, even if I did pay a lot for a membership. I'm not expecting any innovation from them anymore, just Temu quality at 3x the price.
In terms of weight, CO2 emissions, durability, and protecting the product, plastic is probably a lot better for the environment as a whole than a lot of “sustainable” packaging.<p>In the grand scheme of things plastic is a very minor part of our environmental problems - though it does have some nice pictures you can take. However, it seems to attract a bunch of people who think they prove their environmental commitment by irritating people as much as possible.<p>Multi-use plastic bags and paper bags are much more energy intensive to produce than single use plastic bags. Paper bags also fail at much higher rates (handles come out, small tears propagate rapidly, any moisture weakens it).<p>In addition, paper products such as straws and cups need to be coated for use with liquids. The coating (likely PFAS) is probably worse overall than if the straw or cup were just made out of plastic.
A part of the reason might be how package delivery works in the US. In Germany a package delivery involves the courier seeing the receiver face-to-face and handing them the package (typically with a signature, but Amazon isn't as thorough there). As I understand it that is the norm globally.<p>In the US on the other hand a package delivery seems to consist of the the courier putting the package on the front porch, or even just throwing it on the property of the receiver. There it might be exposed to the elements for multiple hours, something cardboard boxes aren't good at.<p>In the scenario where packages are handed over face-to-face the advantages of plastic are pretty small and it's much easier to phase out. In the US the increase in plastic might just be a reaction to degrading delivery standards, which cause increased returns due to water-damaged products.
At least around me (SE Michigan), I get the impression that "I obtain most things from Amazon, and buy at whim" has become a core part of many people's self-images and lifestyles. Which locks the Hypocrisy Lobes of their brains into Ring -2 Denial mode.
In 2022 this was true, but today it is 2024 and I have noticed that Amazon has all but stopped sending me packages in plastic bags IN MY AREA.<p>IN MY AREA they seem to have switched to a new style of cardboard box that has a perforated seam along one side which aids in opening, and they appear to be closed with adhesive strips inside the flaps rather than tape. For smaller items they seem to have switched to paper mailers with some kind of shredded fabric for padding.
I bought like 10 different things in one order from Amazon the other day. I was hoping it would come in one big box; none of it was fragile and could easily have been packed that way. but no, it came in 10 different paper packaging.