Amazon and Microsoft unveil surprising insights on future plans for their products: 'Our engineers are building tools that didn't exist before'

At a recent packaging conference, both Amazon and Microsoft shared their progress — and their plans for continued progress — in transitioning to sustainable packaging at scale, Packaging World reported.

The shared priorities across the two giants included eliminating waste, prioritizing the customer experience, and using collaboration and technology to build at scale.

In Amazon's case, packaging teams seek to view packaging challenges through the lens of their customers.

"For our customers, ease and recyclability matter. If it's not easy to curbside recycle, it doesn't deliver a great experience," Patrick Lindner, VP of mechatronics & sustainable packaging, said. "Convenience is at the heart of why people shop with Amazon, so we have to make sure our packaging is not just functional and protective, but also intuitive and simple to dispose of."

It's already transitioned two of its large fulfillment centers to 100% curbside recyclable, paper-based packaging, eliminating 15 billion plastic air bags in North America alone. Additionally, it reported that at the end of 2024, plastic packaging had dropped to one-third of outbound packages, a remarkable decrease from two-thirds the year prior.

In Microsoft's case, the packaging is viewed as part of the core product offering and the company's overall mission of becoming carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste.

"We see packaging as product-making," Julian Duffy, general manager of packaging and content, shared. "It has to deliver on quality, protection, customer experience, and sustainability. We can't sacrifice one to achieve the other."

Its goals include eliminating all single-use plastics in packaging by the end of 2025 and making 100% of its packaging fully recyclable by the end of the decade. All of its new launches are already free of single-use plastics. Next, the team will be tackling converting the legacy packaging already in the market.

"We do believe you can have it all, if you're prepared to address every challenge from every angle," Duffy said.

And while many of the changes are visible, like eliminating shrink wrap, others are ones that are equally important but that the consumer might never notice.

When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks 😍 The information it provides 🧐 The waste it produces 🗑️ I don't think about packaging at all 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Removing plastic created a cascade of other design challenges," Duffy said. "But it pushed us to think deeper and solve better."

Both companies shared how they are using highly customizable artificial intelligence and robotic systems to help scale these packaging systems, including one Amazon machine that can work on 3,000 units per hour.

"Our engineers are building tools that didn't exist before," Lindner shared. "That's what it takes at our scale."

Both leaders also emphasized the importance of collaboration and shifting the entire consumer packaged culture.

"Amazon alone can only do so much," Lindner said. "But together, we can make an amazing impact."

For consumers, the benefit of sustainable packaging comes in both its ease of recyclability and its reduction in the generation of pollution. Plastic production generates dangerous planet-warming pollution as well as environmental contaminants, including microplastics. Any reduction in its manufacturing means a cleaner, more stable future.

In addition to Amazon and Microsoft, many brands are looking to transition to plastic-free packaging — from Pepsi experimenting with cardboard snack packages to Unilever investing in refillable aluminum deodorant containers.

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