{"id":4830,"date":"2025-01-16T08:34:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:34:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=4830"},"modified":"2025-01-16T08:34:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T13:34:31","slug":"amazon-trials-sustainable-packaging-for-grocery-deliveries-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packagingindustrynews.com\/?p=4830","title":{"rendered":"Amazon trials sustainable packaging for grocery deliveries in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n \n <\/picture>
The outcome of the trial will inform Amazon\u2019s expansion plans. Credit: Amazon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Amazon has initiated trials of biobased delivery bags in Spain for packing and delivering groceries.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The company noted that the eco-friendly bags are produced from European vegetable byproducts such as corn starch and vegetable oils, and have the potential to be recycled into new bags.<\/p>\n

The delivery bags are developed by a collaboration between Italian company Novamont, a division of Versalis, and Amazon itself.<\/p>\n

The pilot programme is currently underway for Amazon Fresh orders in the city of Valencia.<\/p>\n

Amazon highlights the durability, food safety, and weather resistance of these bags, which are made from a material called Mater-bi.<\/p>\n

According to the company, the Mater-bi material could gradually supplant the fossil-based plastics commonly used in the food retail and manufacturing sectors.<\/p>\n

A key environmental benefit of these biobased bags is their safe biodegradability, which ensures they do not contribute to microplastic pollution.<\/p>\n

In Valencia, customers can return their Amazon Fresh bags to drivers for mechanical recycling.<\/p>\n

Local recyclers then process the used material into pellets, which Novamont uses to manufacture new bags.<\/p>\n

This closed-loop system has garnered positive feedback, with 75% of Amazon customers within Valencia expressing satisfaction with the new packaging solution.<\/p>\n

The outcome of the trial will inform Amazon\u2019s decision on whether to expand the use of these biobased bags more widely.<\/p>\n

In parallel, Amazon\u2019s research scientists are collaborating with the US Department of Energy\u2019s BOTTLE Consortium, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), to develop new low-temperature recycling processes for biobased and biodegradable materials.<\/p>\n

EsterCycle, a startup leveraging technology from NREL and Amazon, aims to scale this novel recycling technology beyond laboratory settings.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n