Amazon

Amazon’s plastic pollution is under scrutiny today with the publication of a new report by the nonprofit ocean advocacy organization Oceana. That report estimates that Amazon was responsible for 465 million pounds of plastic packaging waste last year. Amazon says that figure is overblown — by over 350 percent.

Amazon claims that it uses about a quarter of Oceana’s estimate, according to an email from the company to The Verge. If that’s the case, then Amazon still used more than 116 million pounds of plastic packaging in 2019. Amazon did not share what its total plastic footprint was either through a spokesperson or in its most recent sustainability report published last September.

Ship operators in the container shipping sector have a five-year window in which to develop their integrated systems that will allow them to compete with the online freight forwarders and the likes of Amazon, said a former Maersk Line chief information officer.

Speaking exclusively to Container News Adam Banks said that the container shipping sector now has the technology to develop its online systems that will allow them to meet the challenge from the online companies that have evolved over the last 10 years.

According to Banks the three elements that will allow the type of integration necessary for the carriers are the development of reliable sensors that have a battery life of six to 12 months with the global connectivity that will allow the carriers to gain a competitive advantage.

“Being an asset owner gives the carriers a potential advantage over competitors, in the past that wasn’t the case, but now technology has caught up and that makes joined up integrated systems operating in real time a possibility,” explained Banks.

Essentially, as the lines own the assets on which the cargo is transported, the ships, ports/terminals, and trucks and trains to a lesser extent, they will be able to offer services that non-vessel operating companies will not be capable of.

Your Amazon Prime Day packages will look different than the boxes you're used to -- and they'll come with an unexpected surprise.

Amazon is working on a fix for a problem that challenged food retailers earlier in the pandemic — long virtual lines for grocery delivery spots for online shoppers.

According to an interview that Stephanie Landry, Amazon’s VP of grocery, gave to Recode, “Amazon has now come up with a solution if there are large spikes in demand this fall and winter, whether because of a jump in COVID-19 cases, a surge in other illnesses (like the flu), or bad weather.”

Amazon’s fleet of delivery trucks is finally getting a little greener. This morning, the e-commerce titan revealed its first custom electric delivery vehicle: A big, surprisingly cutesy van built in partnership with electric transport startup Rivian....

After a short period where you could only visit the store if you had an invite, Amazon's first Fresh grocery location is now open to the public. Starting today, anyone who wants to visit the Woodland Hills, Los Angeles store can do so from 7AM to 10PM PT daily.

The centerpiece of the store is Amazon's new Dash Cart. Each one features a scale and a variety of cameras and sensors, allowing it to calculate your total as you shop. Once you're done shopping, the amount you need to pay is automatically deducted from the credit card associated with your Amazon account. If you only plan to buy about two bags worth of groceries, the Amazon Dash Cart allows you to skip a visit to the cashier. Another nifty feature of the Dash Carts is that you can access any shopping lists you made with Alexa directly from the cart.   

Walmart just kicked off its own drone delivery pilot, a collaboration with drone delivery company Flytrex.

The pilot launched today in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is limited to select grocery and household essential items from the retailer’s local stores.

“We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone,” reads a press release from Tom Ward, senior vice president of customer product at Walmart. “That still feels like a bit of science fiction, but we’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier.”

Dangling from a Wire

Flytrex’s drones can cruise at 32 mph at 230 feet and can release their payload, stored inside a delivery box below the rotors, via a wire release mechanism. According to the company’s website, orders are lowered using the wire from eighty feet, ensuring a “quiet and secure delivery.”

The news comes after Amazon was designated an “air carrier” by the Federal Aviation Administration in August, meaning it can start trialing drone package deliveries.

Amazon is also developing its own proprietary drones that transform from a helicopter configuration to an airplane one. They can carry five pound packages to costumers within a 15 mile radius.

US: Albertsons embraces micro-fulfillment to power e-commerceTo support e-commerce growth, Albertsons Cos. has expanded its partnership with automation specialist Takeoff Technologies to deploy micro-fulfillment centers (MFCs) to fill online grocery orders. Currently, Albertsons has two Takeoff-powered…

Amazon.com Inc’s drone service has received federal approval that will allow the company to begin testing commercial deliveries through its drone fleet, the e-commerce giant said. Amazon Prime Air, the company’s special service delivering packages in 30 minutes or less, has been approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test delivering orders using autonomous drones.

Amazon aims to compete with the likes of Albertsons and Kroger with the launch of its first retail Fresh grocery story in Los Angeles. The Woodland Hills location, promising “a wide assortment of national brands and high-quality produce, meat and sea...

Amazon executive Jeff Wilke, a 20-year veteran of the company, plans to retire next year, but not before completing one of his major projects — eliminating human cashiers at Whole Foods locations across the country.

Amazon is expanding its real-world footprint with another unconventional physical product: a shopping cart. While it certainly looks like an aesthetic upgrade to your standard grocery store cart, the Dash Cart, as it’s called, is in fact a smart version of the tried-and-true food transport vehicle.

It’s equipped with a touchscreen and other various hardware components to automatically detect what items you’re placing inside and even how many of those items you’ve picked off the shelf. When you’re done shopping, you’re allowed to take the cart through a special lane that checks you out digitally without requiring a human cashier to ring you up.

The idea builds on Amazon’s approach of trying to take the convenience it’s mastered in the...

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Amazon plans to open more grocery stores across U.S., including ones in Seattle and RedmondAmazon is preparing to open its second automated-checkout grocery store on the Eastside and is hiring managers for a third store in the nation’s capitol. The commerce giant’s grocery strategy is also advancing on…