Press Releases
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
“Amazon has a plastics problem – it is time for the company to address it and take steps needed to reduce its plastic footprint. This is a company that, according to recent news reports, shipped 7 billion packages in 2019, many of them packed in plastic.[ii] 91% of all plastic produced to date has been landfilled, burned, or ended up in the sea.[iii] We know, from recent research, that Amazon’s customers – especially Prime customers, are increasingly concerned about the impact of plastic pollution on the seas.”
“Oceana commissioned surveys of Amazon customers by YouGov in the United States and United Kingdom and by Abacus Data in Canada and found that 85% of customers in the U.S. are concerned about plastic pollution, 34% are willing to switch to other retailers that offer plastic-free packaging, and 35% of Amazon Prime customers said that they would shop at online retailers that offer plastic-free shipping. For a company that lists “customer obsession” as its first leadership principle, Amazon needs to listen to them and provide a plastic-free choice. It’s the right thing to do, and it is just good business.”
To access the complete referenced survey results, please visit oceana.org/PlasticFreeAmazon. To find out about Oceana’s campaign to reduce plastics, go to oceana.org/plastics.
Media Contact: Gillian Spolarich (202-251-9564, gspolarich@oceana.org)
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 225 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit www.oceana.org to learn more.
[i] “Here's What to Look for When Amazon Reports Earnings Thursday.” The Motley Fool. Published July 20, 2020 at https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/20/heres-what-to-look-for-when-amazon-reports-earning.aspx
[ii] Amazon announced that it delivered 3.5 billion packages through its own delivery systems in 2019. Amazon spokespeople were quoted– in subsequent stories in Vox, US News and other outlets – that this represented “approximately half” of the company’s global shipping volume (and the rest was shipped through other carriers, like UPS).
[iii] Geyer R, Jambeck JR and Law KL (2017) Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances 19 Jul 2017:Vol. 3, no. 7, e1700782 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700782. Available at: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Survey: Amazon Customers Overwhelmingly Concerned About Plastic Pollution, Want Plastic-Free Choices
– which would be equivalent to nearly one package for every person living on earth. These packages are often packaged with plastic, which can end up in the oceans and devastate marine life. “Plastic is a major source of pollution for the world’s oceans, with 17.6 billion pounds entering the sea every year[2] – the equivalent of a garbage truck worth dumped into the ocean every minute. Recent studies found that 90% of all seabird species[3] and100% of all sea turtles[4] investigated have ingested plastic. Only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled[5]," added Littlejohn.
To access the complete survey results for the U.S., UK, and Canada, please visit oceana.org/plasticfreeamazon. To view the petition go to Change.org/PlasticFreeChoice. To find out about Oceana’s campaign to reduce plastics, go to oceana.org/plastics.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 225 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit www.oceana.org to learn more.
[1] Amazon, announced that it delivered 3.5 billion packages through its own delivery systems in 2019. Amazon spokespeople were quoted– in subsequent stories in Vox, US News and other outlets - that this represented “approximately half” of the company’s global shipping volume (and the rest was shipped through other carriers, like UPS).
[2] Jambeck JR, Geyer R, Wilcox C, Siegler TR, Perryman M, Andrady A, Narayan R and Law KL (2015) Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science. 347: 768-771. doi: 10.1126/ science.1260352
[3] Wilcox C, van Sebille E and Hardesty BD (2015) Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive and increasing. PNAS 112: 11899-11904. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1502108112; Kuhn S, Bravo Rebolledo EL and van Franeker JA (2015) Deleterious Effects of Litter on Marine Life. In: Marine Anthropogenic Litter. Cham: Spinger International Publishing.
[4] Duncan, Emily M, Broderick, Annette C, Fuller, Wayne J, Galloway, Tamara S, Godfrey, Matthew H, Hamann, Mark, Limpus, Colin J, Lindeque, Penelope K, Mayes, Andrew G, Omeyer, Lucy C M, Santillo, David, Snape, Robin T E, Godley, Brendan J (2018) Microplastic ingestion ubiquitous in marine turtles. Global Change Biology. Feb 2019: Vol. 25, Issue 2. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14519. Available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14519
[5] Geyer R, Jambeck JR and Law KL (2017) Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances 19 Jul 2017:Vol. 3, no. 7, e1700782 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700782. Available at: https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/7/e1700782
Friday, June 5, 2020
Sam Waterston and Oceana Demand Plastic-Free Choices
Today, on World Oceans Day, Oceana released a Public Service Announcement (PSA) starring actor and Oceana Board Member Sam Waterston about the dangers of ocean plastic pollution and... Read More
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless Wins Visionary Award at 2020 Ocean Awards
Today, Andrew Sharpless, CEO of Oceana, received the Visionary Award at the 2020 Ocean Awards from BOAT International and Blue Marine Foundation. The Visionary Award recognizes an individual... Read More
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Oceana Praises the Passage of New York’s Statewide Polystyrene Ban
Today, New York state lawmakers passed a ban on polystyrene in an effort to curb the endless flow of plastic into our oceans, rivers and lands. Effective January... Read More
Monday, January 27, 2020
Oceana, the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation, released a report today finding that the beverage industry could decrease marine plastic pollution by 4.5 billion... Read More
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Commerce Department Takes Step to Prevent Sea Turtle Deaths in Gulf and Atlantic Shrimp Trawl Nets
Today, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross finalized a new rule to prevent sea turtle deaths in select U.S. shrimp trawls in the Gulf of Mexico and... Read More
