Amazon’s new eco-friendly boxes can be turned into forts and cat condos
An Amazon delivery might not be that exciting for you, but your cat is probably thrilled to be getting a new cardboard home. Amazon has made that sentiment official with new eco-friendly boxes that can be recycled into cat condos, forts and even a putt-putt golf windmill. It’s all part of the company’s “less packaging, more smiles” program aimed at reducing cardboard consumption.
Amazon noted that over the years, it has reduced packaging weight by 33 percent, eliminating the equivalent of about 1.5 billion boxes and reducing its carbon footprint. “Inventing and innovating in new types of packaging is one of the many actions we are taking as part of the climate pledge — our commitment to become net-zero carbon by 2040 — 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement,” Amazon’s director of customer packaging experience, Kim Houchens told USA Today.
Despite the efforts, Amazon still shipped about 5 billion packages in 2018 out of 165 billion shipped in total in the US. Even though 92 percent of cardboard boxes are recycled, that’s still a lot of waste and forest destruction.
Only certain orders will be delivered in the more environmentally friendly boxes, starting this week. If you get one, you can create your own Chateau Fluffy by scanning a QR code or heading to Amazon.com/ThisBox for detailed instructions.
Update 7/25/2020 8:42 AM ET: The post has been update to correctly identify Kim Houchens’ position as director of customer packaging experience, rather than VP.
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