White said Sony was "very interested in the eco-packaging samples we sent over, right out of the gate," and was "fully supportive of our eco-packaging efforts." For Nintendo, though, Gibson would only say the Switch maker "support[s] the steps iam8bit is taking to push eco-friendly packaging forward" and that iam8bit is "super excited by the ongoing conversation.
It’s a really positive topic for Nintendo and iam8bit, so stay tuned!".
That was harder than you might expect, Gibson said, because "most recycled and sustainably sourced raw materials tend to be a littler weaker." To ensure quality, iam8bit put prototype boxes through what it calls a handheld “squeeze test," to make sure "it not only feels structurally sound, but if you apply pressure, it doesn’t collapse.
Because of supply chain limitations, Gibson said sourcing those high-quality recycled materials in an eco-friendly way "isn’t as simple as ordering some reams of paper from Amazon Prime for next-day delivery." The limited number of factories that make eco-compliant papers and inks are currently "only located in certain regions and have limited production capacities," he said.
The PS4 version of iam8bit's eco-friendly "Lovely Edition" sells for $35, or $5 more than a version with standard packaging from Skybound Games.
That's part of why iam8bit hopes its packaging efforts will serve as a statement that leads to a "domino effect of change" throughout the industry.
White said iam8bit's smaller size lets it take nimble risks that can let the company serve "as a guiding light for [console makers], who due to their nature and size simply can’t move as quickly (which we completely understand).".
"While humans may mean well, commerce can, unfortunately, be as loud as community voices," Gibson said.
"Companies can pivot to making the investment in eco-friendly packaging elements (or the entirety of packaging) on all physically produced titles going forward
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