A4T and ABP Technology have joined forces in an effort to reduce plastic use in video game accessory packaging. Since 2017, both companies have been waging a “war on plastics” and have bee reducing the plastic in their products’ packaging ever since. ABP Technology’s Sales Director Paul Carrington says that a mutual love of Blue Planet II at the office was what initially spurred on the decision.
In the first half of 2017 it quickly became apparent that the whole office was hooked on David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II. Everyone loved it and it was a frequent topic of conversation — so all this was down to a ‘water-cooler moment’ I guess, or more like a bunch of them.
Our collective love for this programme definitely led to us genuinely beginning to consider how we could help.
We knew there was a lot of plastic in our packaging, so the potential was there to make a difference. We had a multitude of things to consider: from stickers to cable ties, inner trays and hooks — and while each seemed like a small change, we soon realised they would amount to a significant reduction in landfill waste or worse still, ocean-bound plastics.
Once the decision was made, a complete redesign of the packaging for both 4Gamers and Stealth products was undertaken. Both brands’ packaging is now completely plastic-free.
This makes them the first of their kind in the industry.
Plastic-free Gaming
With its sights set on plastic-free gaming packaging by the end of 2018, ABP Technology went through numerous partners before settling on A4T. Thanks to the partnership and the removal of plastic from packaging, A4T and ABP will save 60 tonnes of plastic per year.
With an average of 60 grams of plastic per product, it’s easy to see how quickly the amount of plastic can rise and how much can end up in places it shouldn’t be. ABP Technology’s focus on removing plastic was driven by the need to seek sustainable alternatives but not at a cost to the customer.
Additionally, ABP wanted to ensure that the materials used would be as durable and hardy as plastic. A multitude of stress tests were carried out, which included dropping packaging from the company’s second storey.
Every single product in both the 4Gamers and Stealth products lines are shipped in plastic-free packaging though ABP believes more can be done. Paul Carrington said, “We’ve significantly reduced our use of plastics through a complete overhaul of our packaging processes and we’re delighted to be leading this initiative across the industry. Seeing how much this has changed our outlook as a company though, I do wonder just how big an impact we’d have — collectively as an industry — if others joined us in going plastic-free.
“Sixty tonnes becoming six hundred tonnes, that’s the dream.”
You can find 4Gamers and Stealth products at Big W and EB Games.
