Sega to start releasing PC games in fully recyclable packaging

Sega announced it will start releasing physical PC games in fully recyclable packaging, beginning with the title Total War™: ROME II – Enemy at the Gates Edition, to be released on February 6, 2020.

According to the press release by Sega Europe, “the move to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly model of PC game packaging stemmed from Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe’s desire to find a solution that would reduce their impact on the environment, utilising alternatives to plastic packaging, thus reducing the amount of pollution caused by sending waste to landfill.”

We're pleased to announce that all of our future physical releases of PC games will be launched in fully recycled packaging!

Total War: ROME II – Enemy at the Gates Edition from Creative Assembly signals our intent to continue with this environmental initiative. pic.twitter.com/UdcwnQqSFU

— SEGA (@SEGA) January 30, 2020

Sega Europe and Sports Interactive™ released Football Manager™ 2020 in November 2019 in a 100% recyclable packaging. For Sega, all packaging will be made from “100% recycled and recyclable cardboard, along with a 100% recycled and recyclable manual.”

“All printing uses water and vegetable inks, apart from the disc, which is recyclable via specialists. The whole package is shrink wrapped in 100% recyclable low-density polyethylene (LDPE).”

Though this method of becomes an additional expense for Sega Europe, “this is in part offset by cheaper distribution – lighter packaging means lower fuel costs, and cheaper destruction costs as the package can be fully recycled.”

Before the release of Football Manager 2020, Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive, challenged the gaming industry in a post he wrote some months ago.

“Due to these changes in our packaging, we are estimating (based on expected sales) a saving of around 20 tonnes of plastic this year. It’s about 55g of plastic per box that is simply not needed.

But we’re not interested in being the only people doing this. So I’m throwing down the gauntlet here to ALL entertainment companies who use plastic for their Blu Ray, DVD and CD packaging. Imagine how much plastic we could save, how much landfill we could avoid and how much less plastic would make it into the oceans if we were all do this?”

[Source]: Sega Europe: SEGA Europe Announces Plans to Roll Out Fully Recyclable Packaging Across its PC Portfolio.