Nearly 8 in 10 Singaporeans wouldn’t mind shopping deliveries without extra packaging because it’s better for planet Earth

SINGAPORE: A recent study commissioned by Amazon showed that almost eight in 10, or 77 per cent, of shoppers in Singapore, say they wouldn’t mind receiving the items they’ve ordered without extra delivery packaging.

The survey from the tech giant took into account 1,000 Singapore adults who shop online at least every few months, with data collected in March and April of this year.

Among the participants, almost half (47 per cent) said they’d be happy to receive orders without extra packaging as this would save time for recycling or disposing of the packaging.

46 per cent said that reducing packing materials would be their main reason for opting for less of it.

For 45 per cent of Singaporean respondents, their main reason would be to help save resources and reduce carbon emissions associated with packaging. Similarly, 43 per cent said they believe no-added delivery packaging is better for planet Earth.

Amazon added that more and more essential items, including diapers, toilet paper, and bottled drinks, are delivered to Singaporeans with no added delivery packaging from the company’s Fulfilment Centre in Singapore.

This also means that shipments are less heavy, resulting in decreased delivery emissions per package and a reduced need to recycle an additional Amazon cardboard box or paper bag.

Amazon has decreased the weight of outbound packaging per shipment by an average of 41 per cent. The company has also eliminated more than 2 million tons of packaging material.

Amazon found that shoppers are most pleased when they receive goods such as toilet rolls, detergents, toiletries, clothes, and DIY items with only an address label and no extra packing material.

However, customers said that goods such as contraceptive devices, haemorrhoid cream, and pricey goods like cameras and smartphones are the items they’re the least pleased to receive without additional packaging.

The Head of Operations for Amazon Singapore, Vasantharaj Bharathi, said that the company has been collaborating with manufacturers to design packaging capable of shipping safely without needing extra protective material from the tech giant.

Since 2021, Amazon has increased the number of non-grocery orders with no extra packaging in Singapore by 80 per cent, and plans to increase this.

In Singapore, eight out of 10 respondents said that they want to give business to retailers who decrease packing, and 39 per cent said that they want them to make a reduction of delivery packaging a priority and to use recyclable packaging when it’s needed. /TISG

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