An investigation by ITV has claimed that Amazon UK is destroying upwards of 130,000 unsold products every week, creating an unprecedented amount of waste and e-waste.
Online retailer Amazon is destroying millions of unsold and discarded items every single year, according to a new investigation by ITV.
Footage taken undercover at one of 24 distribution centres shows a huge amount of items – much of it tech such as laptops and phones – being thrown into a βdestruction zoneβ. Employees say most are unopened or still in shrink wrap, and that nearly all destroyed products could be resent to charities.
Items are thrown into large bins and carried away by lorries. Theyβre then disposed of in recycling centres, with only a small number being used for energy recovery.
This is where non-recyclable products are burned to create heat, electricity, or fuel.
Amazonβs business model relies on vendors storing products at its warehouses, but this costs companies a significant amount the longer theyβre left unsold. Eventually, it becomes cheaper for these third parties to simply dispose of items rather than paying an upward fee to keep them housed.
Obviously this isnβt great news. E-waste and plastic remain two huge environmental issues, especially in the UK, where much of the countryβs recycling is sent overseas.
Amazonβs insanely high volume of wasted products is disappointing, especially considering that most if not all of these destroyed products could be sent to charities, hospitals, or schools for use by those who need them or canβt afford tech normally.
The good news is that almost all of these items are recycled and not sent to landfill, at least according to Amazon. In response to the investigation, it claimed that it is βworking towards a goal of zero product disposal and our priority is to resell, donate, or recycle any unsold itemsβ.
Thatβs easier said than done, however, and for now Amazon has a huge waste problem that needs addressing sooner rather than later.
Keep in mind too that recycling remains a complicated issue and isnβt as easy as youβd think. Often itβs actually detrimental to reducing our carbon footprint and many experts believe it is no longer a viable option to tackle our waste problem.
What can be done in the future to change things?
Amazon technically isnβt doing anything illegal – itβs just very poor form.
The UK government is facing a wave of public calls to intervene with new legislation that forces large companies to be more responsible in handling unsold items as a result of ITVβs investigation.
Greenpeace spokesman Sam Chetan-Welsh noted that βitβs an unimaginable amount of unnecessary waste and itβs shocking to see a multi-billion pound company getting rid of stock in this wayβ.
Greater consumer awareness can also help. Weβve all been aware of Amazonβs dodgy tax history, poor employee wellbeing, and its dismissive attitude toward philanthropy for quite some time, but its massive monopoly over the online retail industry makes it hard to not use.
The more of us kick up a fuss, the more likely weβll see meaningful action. As mentioned, some are already asking the government to step in with legal action – the more of this momentum is pounced on, the quicker Amazon will get its act together. In theory, of course.
I doubt this will slow Jeff Bezosβ inevitable takeover of Earth, but we can cry out in defiance in the meantime. Whatβs a fight without a little shouting, eh?
I’m Charlie (He/Him), the Editor In Chief at Thred. I studied English at the University of Birmingham and as a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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