There are still a whole bunch of people who really want their games physical, which of course means more manufacturing, transportation, and packaging. Now Sega Europe is making an effort to reduce the impact of this by embracing fully recyclable packaging.
So far, this has only been announced for its PC titles because the platform holders have strict rules of how the packaging should be presented. However, maybe moves like this will make them reconsider.
The move follows what appears now to have been a successful trial by Sports Interactive with last year's Football Manager 2020, which itself had packaging made from fully-recyclable materials.
"This initiative underlines SEGA Europe's commitment to reducing its plastic waste and its ongoing efforts to implement environmentally friendly business practices," said Gary Dale, the President and COO of SEGA Europe.
"Our estimations with regards to Football Manager 2020 suggested we'd save up to 20 tonnes of plastic packaging for that title alone, so taking this step for the rest of our PC portfolio would see that saving rise exponentially.
"We'd like to reiterate Miles' plea from September 2019 to the entertainment industries to investigate similar packaging solutions, across movies, games and music so we can collectively observe a drastic reduction in the production of plastic packaging and its associated waste and pollution, over the coming years."
The company is already preparing its next plastic-free product, with the Enemy at the Gates Edition of Total War: Rome II set to hit retailers on February 6.