Ahead of Global Recycling Day, Amazon India rolled out a digital campaign from 3rd March – 15th March that encourages customers to collectively engage in reducing packaging waste. Advocating customers to embrace recyclable practices, the #PledgeToReuse campaign calls on customers to discover the alternative benefits of an Amazon delivery box by repurposing it in creative ways, rather than discarding them as waste.

To kick start the campaign, Amazon India invited customers to take the pledge to reuse their Amazon boxes and encourage their friends and family to do the same. Driving awareness across digital channels, the company launched the campaign with a video across its owned platforms on 3rd March. The video drove home the message that an Amazon package is ‘not just a box’ but can be repurposed to serve diverse needs.

We our committed towards reducing packaging waste and it is encouraging to see the number of ‘Recycling Heroes’ who are supporting our green agenda.
Prakash Kumar Dutta, Vice President, Fulfilment Centre & Supply Chain Operations, Amazon India

With people across the country taking the pledge, on 6th March Amazon India launched a contest on social media to encourage customers to share their DIY ideas. The 10 day long contest offered participants the opportunity to ‘think outside the box’ and showcase how they would creatively reuse their Amazon packaging. Participants were encouraged to share their DIY creations on social media to win exciting prizes. The campaign received an overwhelming response from participants across the country with over 1000 creative photo and video entries.

Speaking about the campaign, Prakash Kumar Dutta, Vice President, Fulfilment Centre & Supply Chain Operations, Amazon India, said, “The ‘Pledge to Reuse’ is an engaging educational campaign designed to promote the idea of incorporating recycling and reuse practices into everyday life. We our committed towards reducing packaging waste and it is encouraging to see the number of ‘Recycling Heroes’ who are supporting our green agenda. The campaign encourages customers to adopt a circular economy approach through upcycling, and will play a central role in creating awareness and enabling customers to achieve sustainable practices”.

Over the years, the increased awareness and emphasis on environmentally sustainable practices has made customers more conscious about the brands they use. In turn, this is creating a ripple effect towards responsible purchasing and consumption decisions. COVID-19 has also seen customers reassess their impact on the environment, leading to them move towards sustainable practices such as recycling/upcycling. Amazon India Operations has introduced several sustainability efforts over the last year including India-first initiatives like Packaging-Free Shipping (PFS) and the elimination of 100% single use plastic packaging from its Fulfilment Centers. At Amazon India, all packaging boxes are made from 100% recycled content and is fully recyclable.

Here are some creative ideas shared by the winners

· Preeti(storyofspices1)- Amazon Box repurposed into a TV set

· Poonam S J (poonam_216)- Hand Sanitizer Dispenser

· Rujuta Jadhav (rujulicious)- Bird House

· Akansha (artisticchidiya) - Plant station

· Seema Porwal (porwal1147) – Game