Miles Jacobson O.B.E., Studio Director of Sports Interactive (SI), has challenged the entertainment industries – music, movies and games – to abandon their dependence on plastic packaging and adopt more sustainable packaging solutions.
The call comes as SI has revealed that the latest release in its perennially successful series, Football Manager 2020, will be the first to be distributed in more eco-friendly packaging.
“Due to the current climate emergency, we’ve decided that from here on we will distribute our games in the most environmentally-friendly way that we possibly can”, says Jacobson. “To this end, we’ve worked with our colleagues at our publisher SEGA to develop a new style of packaging, replacing the old-style plastic case with a new carrier made of 100% recycled cardboard, printed with vegetable ink and sealed in 100% recyclable shrink-wrap.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that this new set-up is more expensive than traditional packaging – about 30% more expensive, in fact – but we believe this is a price worth paying. I would ask that anyone involved in the development, creation or production of plastic packaging in any of the entertainment industries should take a look at the many environmentally-friendly options available to them, swallow the extra expense and make the switch.
“There are other savings though – distribution costs and the amount of fuel used would be lowered as it’s lighter than standard packaging. Destruction costs are cheaper as the package can be recycled, rather than thrown in landfill. But there is still a small impact on the bottom line, which we believe is a price worth paying to help secure the planet’s future.”
Football Manager 2020 will be packaged in 100% recycled board and will come with a manual printed on 100% recycled paper, shrink-wrapped in fully recyclable low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The only part of the package which will not be easily recyclable will be the DVD itself, but even this can be repurposed by specialist companies (a list of which will be published on the Football Manager website). The new packaging materials will result in a saving of roughly 55g of plastic for each physical unit manufactured. Over the game’s full lifecycle, this could result in a saving of up to 20 tonnes of plastic packaging.
Full details on the materials that have been used to achieve this new packaging, including potential suppliers, is detailed on the Football Manager website.
