I am very much developing a thing for more responsible video game packaging, and so this blog by Sony on how they’re cutting down on plastics in their PlayStation boxes was pretty interesting reading.
As part of “a commitment to eliminate plastic use in newly designed small product packaging by 2025″, Sony explains how the boxes for the new PlayStation 5 are “between 93-99% plastic-free overall (by weight)“, with basically just the carrying handle being the only thing not made out of recycled paper or cardboard. They’re barely even using glue, with most boxes made by simply folding the paper instead of sticking it together.
Some of the other stuff Sony has done to make the PS5’s packaging more environmentally responsible include:
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– Designing packaging to be fully recyclable
– Avoiding expanded polystyrene or plastic trays by using card inserts and paper pulp cushion trays
– Replacing plastic cable ties with paper cable ties
– Eliminating plastic protection bags used for cables and instruction manuals where feasible
– Substituting plastic display windows for closed card boxes for PS5 accessories
Which is cool and all, but you only buy a PS5 once, and then spend the next 5-7 years buying a lot more games. So what about game packaging, which is still very much made of plastic? Well I’ve got no idea what’s happening in North America and Asia, but Sony do say that “in 2021, we will be testing the inclusion of polypropylene recycled from post-industrial waste in our physical game cases in Europe”, which is neat.