What is SIOC Packaging? Amazon’s Packaging for Less Waste and Lower Costs + the Benefits for All Ecommerce Orders

Have you ever received a shipment that was delivered in its actual packaging and not a plain brown box?

The shipper didn’t forget to throw the item in a box; This was done intentionally to reduce packaging used. And this it’s pretty common with ecommerce shipping.

Direct-to-consumer brands of all sizes use this packaging method, but there is one company that is most known for encouraging it: Amazon. In fact, they’ve created multiple programs dedicated to this concept.

The purpose of Amazon’s frustration-free packaging (FFP) program is to enhance, simplify, and improve packaging processes. The program consists of packages to be designed, tested, and certified to qualify for one of the three tiers of ecommerce packaging: FFP, SIOC, or PFP. 

While Tier 1 FFP product packages are recyclable and open easily, Tier 2 SIOC packaged products ship to the customer in their original packaging without additional packaging or boxing required. 

Adopting SIOC packaging is a great option for business owners who ship their products through Amazon but want more control over how their orders are packaged, as well as other brands that want to use the SIOC packaging model to lower packaging costs and increase sustainability. 

In this article, you’ll learn what SIOC packaging is, what’s required, and how you can adapt an SIOC packaging without needing to fulfill orders through Amazon.