E-commerce major Amazon has announced an investment of $10m in Closed Loop Fund to help increase recycling rates across the US.

Recycleloop

Image: Amazon has invested in Closed Loop Fund to increase recycling rates in US. Photo: courtesy of Bas Emmen / Unsplash.

Closed Loop Fund finances the building of advanced recycling infrastructure and services. It invests in sustainable consumer goods, advanced recycling technologies, and the development of the circular economy.

The investment is part of Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging programs, which are framed to produce less waste than traditional packaging.

The investment will enable to increase the availability of curbside recycling for 3 million homes in communities across the US, helping customers to easily recycle and further develop end markets for recycled commodities.

It will also allow to redirect one million tons of recyclable material from landfill into the recycling stream, enabling to curb the equivalent of two million metric tons of CO2 by 2028.

Amazon worldwide operations senior vice president Dave Clark said: “This investment will help build the local capabilities needed to make it easier for our customers and their communities to recycle and to increase the amount of material recycled across the country.

“We are investing in Closed Loop Fund’s work because we think everyone should have access to easy, convenient curbside recycling. The more we are all able to recycle, the more we can reduce our collective energy, carbon, and water footprint.”

Closed Loop Fund intends to curb more than 16 million tons of greenhouse gas, divert over than 8 million cumulative tons of waste from landfills, improve recycling for over 18 million households and save around $60m for American cities in the coming 10 years.

Closed Loop Fund CEO Ron Gonen said: “Amazon’s investment in Closed Loop Fund is another example of how recycling is good business in America.

“Companies are seeing that they can meet consumer demand and reduce costs while supporting a more sustainable future and growing good jobs across the country.”

Frustration-Free Packaging, which was introduced by Amazon 10 years ago, has so far eliminated over 244,000 tons of packaging materials, preventing 500 million shipping boxes.