03:31 PM EDT, 06/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Amazon.com ( AMZN ) said Thursday has cut must of its plastic air pillows in North American packaging less than a year after transitioning its first US fulfillment center to paper fill.

The e-commerce giant said it has replaced 95% of the pillows with a 100% recycled paper filler and is working toward removing them completely from North American packaging by the end of this year.

The sharp reduction in plastic pillows marks Amazon's ( AMZN ) largest plastic packaging reduction effort to date as part of a multiyear effort to remove plastic from North America fulfillment centers. The company estimates that 15 billion plastic pads have been used each year in its North American packaging.

A highly automated Amazon ( AMZN ) fulfillment center in Ohio was the company's first to replace plastic pillows with paper in October. Since then, the e-commerce company has transitioned several of its distribution centers.

"I am proud of the collaboration between the different teams at Amazon ( AMZN ) to make a positive impact on the delivery experience for our customers, now with materials that are easier to recycle," said Pat Lindner, Amazon's ( AMZN ) vice president of mechatronics and sustainable packaging. "We're working toward total plastic elimination in North America by the end of the year and will continue to innovate, testing and scaling up to prioritize recyclable materials."

Amazon ( AMZN ) said it has been working with the US Department of Energy to develop new materials and recycling programs. It is also testing new technology with artificial intelligence and robotics startup Glacier to automate recyclable sorting while collecting real-time data on recycling chains to help businesses reduce landfill waste.

Price: 185.04, Change: +2.23, Percent Change: +1.22