Where Does Amazon Get Its Boxes?

E-commerce has become the preferred shopping method for most people, with Amazon seeming to come on top every time.

Last year, Amazon was reported to have delivered a whopping 4.75 billion packages in the United States.

You are probably wondering where they get the boxes needed for all these deliveries.

Well, we’re here to answer that question!

Like many other e-commerce companies, a lot of time and money goes into Amazon’s packaging, especially the boxes. Their goal is to invest in fuss-free packaging that reduces cost and more importantly, waste. To achieve this, they tend to buy from only the best pulp and paper companies. Let’s go ahead and discuss them in detail.

Who Makes Amazon’s Boxes?

Amazon, among others, uses a corrugated box to ship all its packages.

These boxes are sturdy, durable, and less prone to damage. Even better, they can be recycled.

Since Amazon has such a high demand for corrugated boxes, they get supplies from most of the major box companies, such as:

1. International Paper Company

Despite its name, the International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee.

It has over 56,000 employees and is reported to be one of the largest pulp and paper companies worldwide.

The Company was founded on January 21, 1898. At that time, almost 60% of the country’s newsprint was supplied by this company.

Since then, the International Paper Company has produced products for many industry giants and fast food companies like Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Subway.

2. WestRock

WestRock was founded in 2015 after the unification of MeadWestvaco and RockTenn and is currently headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

WestRock has quickly risen through the market to become the second-largest corrugated Packaging Company in America.

Of course, corrugated boxes aren’t the only thing they make.

They recently purchased Star Pizza box, the largest producer and distributor of Pizza boxes in the United States.

So, if you order a pizza tonight, chances are the box it’ll come in is made by WestRock!

3. Packaging Corporation of America

The Packaging Corporation of America is Based in Lake Forest, Illinois. It was founded in 1959 and has since then undergone much change.

The Packaging Corporation Of America is widely recognized as a force to be reckoned with in the packaging industry.

They produce corrugated packaging, multicolored boxes, displays for retail merchandise, and containerboards.

They consider the Georgia-Pacific Corporation to be a leading competitor.

4. Georgia-Pacific Corporation

Georgia-Pacific Corporation was founded nearly a century ago by Owen Robertson Cheatham.

It has since grown to be one of the world’s largest distributors of paper, tissue, paper towel dispensers, packaging, etc.

They operate under brand names such as Angel Soft, Vanity Fair, Sparkle, DensDeck, Spectrum, etc.

They also supply packaging to most major e-commerce brands, including Amazon.

5. Sealed Air

Sealed Air started working with Amazon in 1996 when it was just an online book store. A quintessential example of brand loyalty!

Sealed Air also happens to be the inventor of bubble wrap. They started working with Amazon creating air pillows to help them ship books.

Now, they make everything from air pillows, to plastic mailers, along with other packaging materials.

Conclusion

Amazon has been making use of more flexible packaging, such as plastic mailers, more and more in recent years.

However, its trademark boxes are still a significant part of the company. To ensure safe delivery, the boxes need to be sturdy and well-made.

Thus, like many major e-commerce brands, Amazon also gets its boxes from the top contenders of the pulp and paper industry.

These are; The International Paper Company, WestRock, Packaging Industry of America, Georgia Pacific, and Sealed Air.