Amazon continues to face a major plastic waste problem in the United States.

Despite the initiatives announced to reduce the quantity of plastic packaging, the non-profit organization Oceana reveals a worrying situation concerning Amazon in the United States, accentuating the debate on the environmental issues of the e-commerce giant. In 2022, Amazon generated as much as **208 million pounds of plastic waste** in the country, an increase of almost 10% compared to the previous year. This astronomical amount of waste could surround the planet more than **200 times**, if we consider the use of the famous plastic air pillows to protect products during transport.

Amazon’s increase in plastic waste in the United States contrasts sharply with the global situation where the company claims to have reduced its use of plastic packaging by **11.6%** for the year 2022. The United States United thus remains the most problematic market in terms of management of plastic packaging, raising questions about Amazon’s true intentions in terms of environmental impact.

Matt Littlejohn, Oceana’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives, raises a pertinent question: « Why are US customers being left behind? » Amazon’s lack of transparency on the country distribution of its plastic waste and the absence of reporting on the impact of third-party sellers make it difficult to truly understand the company’s ecological impact. Oceana, relying on market data as well as adjustments following public statements from Amazon, is sounding the alarm.

Amazon’s response to these accusations is intended to be reassuring. Pat Lindner, vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging at Amazon, calls Oceana’s report « misleading, » highlighting the company’s initiatives to minimize the use of plastic in its distribution centers. However, plastic film bags, common in Amazon packaging, pose a major recyclability problem and require a special approach to keep them away from landfills and incinerators.

Last year, Amazon raised the idea of ​​a gradual shift towards recyclable alternatives for some of its packaging, but without defining a concrete timetable for these changes. Oceana, for its part, is urging Amazon to adopt a more ambitious strategy to reduce its use of plastic packaging in the United States, calling for a decrease by at least a third by the end of the decade.

This situation highlights the complexity of sustainability efforts within e-commerce giants and raises important questions about the effectiveness of environmental commitments in a critical market like the United States. Pressure from environmental organizations and growing demand for responsible consumption appear to be essential levers to encourage significant changes in the practices of Amazon and other major industry players.