Amazon’s Packaging reduction programs

by Ruth
General, Sustainability
03/10/2024

The umbrella term for Amazon’s packaging reduction programs is Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP). This encourages sellers and vendors to ship their product to Amazon with packaging that can be simply labelled and shipped to shoppers with no Amazon outer box. This forms part of Amazon’s overall commitment to their Climate Pledge, including a net zero commitment which was originally to be delivered for 2040, but in fact has already been delivered in their operations division.

SIPP Program outline

Within SIPP, there are two programme tiers:

  1. Frustration Free Packaging (FFP) is Amazon’s top tier programme
  2. Ships in Own Container (SOIC) is the tier 2 programme

FFP is the same as SIOC with 3 additional requirements. FFP certified products must also be recyclable, easy to open and have minimal packaging. The diagram below shows the requirements in more detail:

Diagram showing the requirements for Amazon's packaging reduction programs. For SIOC the requirements are that the products myst be able to shop without an Amazon Overbox, that no prep is required by Amazon and that there are minimal damage or defect rates. For FFP, those 3 requirements are the same, but in addition, there must be minimal packaging, the pack must be easy to open and the materials must be recyclable at kerbside
https://cdn.amazon-packaging.com/49/18/56c745064be3a0f9094efb535dec/vendor-amazon-sipp-packaging-program-certification-guidelines-20231114-en-us.pdf

Program Benefits

There are several benefits to enrolling in the SIPP packaging reduction programmes:

  • Lower fulfilment fees on every unit shipped (Seller only)
  • Positive impacts for the environment; lower waste, reduced embedded carbon in packaging and better transport efficiency (so less air is shipped)
  • A better customer experience, because they are easier to unpack with no excessive packaging
  • Visible branding for your products on delivery (if that’s what you choose), since the package isn’t enclosed in an Amazon box
  • Higher placement in organic search (organic search rank), because Amazon prioritises SIPP products, which gives them increased visibility versus competitors

Eligibility and Process

To check if your products are eligible for these programmes, take a look at this useful Amazon article in Vendor Central or this one in Seller Central. There are specific size and weight requirements, so it’s worth checking whether these are achievable before you begin any work on this program.

The Process

  1. Review your products’ eligibility for the programmes. Product packaging must me bigger than 152.4mm x 101.6mm x 9.5mm. There are also maximum sizes that you can view here, depending on your packaging format.
  2. Review the program guidelines to understand all the requirements. You can use this to check against your own pack formats and so find the best options for your products
  3. Test your packaging to make sure that the packs are robust enough to enrol on these programs. Information on this process is available here for vendors or here for sellers
  4. Enrol and certify your products by completing the Amazon vendor enrolment template, which you can find at the bottom of this page, or to this Seller Central form