Overview

Amazon is swapping out the inflatable plastic air pillows that have long protected shipments from its North American fulfillment network with a paper-based filler made entirely from recycled content. The company says the transition is 95 % finished and expects to eliminate the remaining plastic cushions by the end of the calendar year, cutting roughly 15 billion plastic pillows from its packaging stream each year. Sellers using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) should note the change because it affects how their products are cushioned and how customers perceive the brand’s sustainability.

Key Points

• 95 % transition complete — Amazon reports that paper filler now packs the majority of orders shipped from U.S. and Canadian fulfillment centers.
• Full phase‑out by year‑end — The last five percent of plastic pillows will be removed in the coming months, ending the use of non‑recyclable void‑fill across the network.
• Protection performance verified — Independent engineering tests show the recycled paper filler provides equal or better shock absorption compared to the former plastic cushions.
• Curbside recyclable — Unlike the previous plastic version, the new filler can be placed in standard municipal recycling bins after the package is opened.
• No seller‑level changes required — For FBA merchants, Amazon handles the material swap automatically; the only visible difference is the texture and recyclability of the filler.
• Potential brand boost — Eco‑focused sellers can reference the fully recyclable packaging in marketing, aligning with growing consumer demand for sustainable shipping.

What's Changing

1. Default void‑fill material switches to recycled paper — When an order is processed in a North American fulfillment center, the system now selects paper filler as the primary cushioning option. For example, a shipment of three ceramic mugs will be surrounded by crumpled paper sheets instead of two inflated plastic pillows.
2. Remaining plastic pillows are withdrawn — Over the next few weeks, fulfillment staff will remove the last batches of plastic cushions from inventory. A seller of lightweight electronics who previously received a single plastic pillow per box will now see that pillow replaced by a comparable volume of paper filler.