Amazon has prioritized environmental friendliness in its Kindle e-readers and Scribe e-notebooks packaging. Over the past few years, Amazon has made several changes to its device packaging to make it more recyclable. Last year, 90% of the devices we launched in the U.S. were boxed in 100% recyclable materials.
One of the key changes they made was removing the plastic bags inside and outside the box. Initially, they used outer plastic wraps and lamination to adequately protect the box from damage when it was shipped, which they replaced with a water-based coating that keeps that box safe and undamaged. Inside the box, they now use paper-based wraps that protect the device and are compatible with paper recycling streams.
The Amazon Kindle’s packaging contains 30% more recycled fibre, reducing its reliance on virgin tree-based and bleached fibres. This means the company uses more fibre that customers have already recycled and is in circulation; on average, 98% of wood fibre-based materials are in the packaging. The text on the retail box and the information inside of the box have 60% less ink.
Many customers are unaware of how retail boxes have drastically changed over the past few years. I have reviewed all the Kindle boxes, which are becoming more flimsy in overall design. This isn’t a big deal when ordering from Amazon since the Kindles are housed inside the typical Amazon shipping box. However, it complicates matters when buying them from a retail environment.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.