Whales are dying with stomachs full of plastic

She was 26 feet long and in the prime of life, but after swallowing 49 pounds of plastic, this young whale didn’t have a chance. By the time she washed up on a beach in 2019, she had been dead for days.

On examination, researchers discovered a second horrific surprise: the whale had been pregnant.

Even the largest creatures in the world aren’t safe from plastic pollution.

We have a massive plastic problem. That’s why we’re calling on the world’s largest online retailer to make a big change.

Companies like Amazon can use less plastic packaging

In the E.U., Amazon packages are wrapped in cardboard instead of plastic, and all its packaging in India is plastic-free. But the company has yet to take the same steps in the U.S., where it makes approximately 68% of its sales.

All that packaging adds up. In 2022, Amazon created 208 million pounds of plastic packaging in the U.S. alone.

The company committed to replacing plastic padded shipping bags with more “recyclable alternatives,” but we need something more concrete, especially when, worldwide, only 9% of plastic makes it to the recycling plant.

Amazon’s annual shareholder’s meeting is just around the corner, and it’s prime time to remind the company what’s at stake if it doesn’t make big changes to its plastic policy.

Tell Amazon: Reduce your use of plastic packaging

Amazon has transformed global retail. If the company can change its packaging practices, that iconic blue arrow can direct us all toward a future where single-use plastic packaging is a thing of the past — but only if we hold Amazon accountable.

We’ve already helped convince the company to stop using plastic air pillows in North American shipments, so we know they’re listening.

We can’t let up now — not when an estimated 100,000 marine mammals are dying from exposure to plastic each year.

Tell Amazon: For the sake of the ocean’s creatures, large and small, it’s time to cut the plastic.