Amazon Australia is encouraging customers to reuse before they recycle, unveiling boxes featuring festive illustrations designed to be decorated and reused as gift wrap this festive season.

Budding artists of any age can get crafty and create their own personalised packaging – while also saving on unnecessary wrapping material – by colouring and decorating their box before putting it under the tree. 

The two ‘Australiana Christmas’ themed illustrations were created by renowned local illustrator, Beck Feiner with designs inspired by native flora and fauna and the unique ways Australians celebrate the holidays.

Feiner said she loved the idea of making it easy for customers to be creative while encouraging them to think about reusing and recycling.

“I was thrilled to be asked to develop some fun festive illustrations for Amazon’s #MoreThanABox initiative. I love creating art that focuses on honouring our environment and celebrating our diverse and unique culture in Australia,” she said.

“I am glad that these special edition boxes are encouraging Australians to get creative, have some fun and ultimately to upcycle their Amazon boxes this festive season.”

To further inspire customers to transform their packaging into #MoreThanABox, Amazon is supporting Greening Australia and will donate $5 every time a customer shares their creation on Instagram with the hashtag #MoreThanABox and tags @amazonaustralia (up to a total value of $10,000).

To further celebrate this initiative, Amazon has donated an additional $10,000 to Greening Australia to support a restoration project from earlier in the year, which will help them towards their goal of planting half a billion trees by 2030. 

Amazon’s special edition holiday boxes also feature cut-out baubles on the internal box flaps that customers can decorate and hang on their Christmas tree as their own personalised bauble. The four bauble illustrations are available to download. 

“We want to bring smiles to our customers’ faces while encouraging them to think about reusing and recycling their packaging this holiday season. We hope our holiday box designs will encourage customers to get creative with the family as they give their boxes a second – and more colourful – life,” Amazon Australia director of operations, Craig Fuller said.