Mercado Libre gets rid of additional packaging in a move to reduce materials in logistics

Mercado Livre is getting rid of additional packaging for products shipped from its main distribution centers in Brazil. The initiative, already tested in São Paulo (SP), should encompass the entire fulfillment operation by the end of 2022 — nine distribution centers in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and Bahia.

The expectation is that, once the rollout is completed, the project will impact up to 15% of the total volume of goods dispatched in this way. Today, this amount is already 7%. Replacing paper boxes and plastic envelopes with just a single label, which is stuck directly to the goods, helps to reduce the use of materials and the production of waste.

Eliminating additional packaging is part of Mercado Livre's sustainable materials and waste management strategy. Currently, all our packaging is recyclable, reusable and/or compostable, and has a recovery rate that already reaches 80% to 90% in most of our distribution centers - the equivalent of more than 800 tons of recycled materials every month.