Amazon, IIT Roorkee Turn Farm Waste Into Green Packaging to Tackle Stubble Burning

Amazon India partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee to develop innovative packaging materials from agricultural waste. This project aims to create non-wood paper technology that diverts agricultural waste from burning while reducing pressure on virgin wood pulp. These lightweight yet strong packaging materials offer recyclable and home-compostable alternatives to traditional wood pulp paper or plastic bags.   

The research will focus on converting crop residues such as wheat straw and bagasse into high-quality pulp for paper mailers with performance comparable to conventional paper packaging. This helps reduce stubble burning in India by turning agricultural waste into valuable packaging material. It also reduces dependency on imported virgin wood pulp and could create additional income for farmers by providing a market for agricultural residues.

Abhinav Singh, Vice President of Operations at Amazon India said in a news release, “At Amazon, we are building and managing India’s fastest, safest, and most reliable operations network, and we’re committed to making it more sustainable. As part of this effort, we’re partnering with IIT Roorkee to develop innovative packaging from crop residue. India generates nearly 500 million tons of this waste annually, and by repurposing it into packaging, we can support a more circular economy while reducing reliance on conventional materials."

Commenting on the role of sustainability, Kamal Kishore Pant, Director IIT Roorkee added in the news release, "Sustainability is no longer a choice, it is an urgent national priority. This collaboration between IIT Roorkee and Amazon is a step towards realising India’s vision of a circular economy, aligned with government missions such as Swachh Bharat, Startup India, and the National Resource Efficiency Policy. By transforming agricultural residues into biodegradable packaging materials, we are addressing the twin challenges of stubble burning and a reliance on virgin materials in India, while creating scalable solutions that can benefit industries, farmers, and society at large. This initiative showcases how academic research and industry partnerships can accelerate India’s journey towards a more sustainable, and self-reliant future.”

Vibhore Kumar Rastogi and Anurag Kulshreshtha from the INNOPAP Lab (Innovations in Paper and Packaging) at the Department of Paper and Packaging Technology at IIT Roorkee, Saharanpur Campus will be leading this research project.

The collaboration with IIT Roorkee’s Department of Paper and Packaging Technology will begin with lab-scale development and testing over a 15-month period. Subject to successful performance tests, Amazon will provide support to progress to industrial trials, process validation and commercial production by mid to late next year.

As part of its ongoing efforts to reduce packaging, Amazon ships more than 50% of all customer orders in India either in their original packaging or with reduced packaging. The company ships customer orders in product packaging to more than 300 cities across the country. Since 2019, Amazon India has eliminated 100% of single-use plastic from its packaging across fulfillment centers.  

Stubble Burning Poses Risk

According to a Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India produces more than 500 million tonnes (Mt) of crop residues annually, much of which is burned in northern states, adding to the persistent problem of severe air pollution.

Another 2024 report published by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) titled ‘Indian Farming’, stated that crop residue burning poses a serious risk to the health of people and the environment. Asia burns more than one-third of its entire biomass as in-situ agricultural residue, according to research.

Furthermore, burning produces particulates like PM10/PM2.5 as well as greenhouse gases (GHGs), which add to pollution in atmosphere.