Amazon to expand use of automated packing machines across the UK

Amazon is set to roll out 18 advanced automated packing machines in its UK fulfilment centres throughout 2025, as part of a wider sustainability initiative aimed at reducing packaging and waste. The move brings the UK’s total number of these machines to 19, with additional installations planned in the coming years.

The new equipment forms part of Amazon’s largest sustainable packaging investment in Europe to date. In total, the company will install over 70 machines across its European network this year alone, with UK facilities in Durham, Sutton Coldfield and Tilbury among the first to receive them. More installations are expected to follow by 2027.

The technology enables the production of made-to-measure cardboard boxes, minimising the use of excess materials and allowing more parcels to be transported per delivery vehicle—helping to lower emissions across the supply chain. In addition, the machines will also support the use of paper bags for suitable items.

Each machine uses sensors to determine the dimensions of an item, automatically generating a tailored box around it. A shipping label is then applied directly to the parcel, making it ready for immediate dispatch. The machines are primarily used for heavier or more delicate products that require more protection than a standard envelope can offer.

Pat Lindner, VP Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging at Amazon, said: In order to reduce waste, we need to reduce packaging. We use machine learning and automation to create packaging that’s made to fit, reducing excess materials while making sure the product remains protected. We’re now installing automated packaging machines in our facilities across the UK and Europe to better serve our customers and the planet. This investment is a significant step forward in reducing the environmental impact of deliveries for our European customers.

Amazon has committed to reducing packaging volumes wherever possible. Currently, around half of its orders in Europe are dispatched without an outer box, using recyclable paper bags or cardboard envelopes. More than one billion parcels have been shipped since 2019 with no added packaging under the company’s ‘Ships in Product Packaging’ initiative.

According to Amazon, average packaging weight per shipment has been cut by 43% since 2015, resulting in the elimination of over 3 million metric tonnes of packaging material.