After the iPhone charging port and bundled power adapters, the EU is turning its attention to our beloved computer hardware. European regulation bodies want a more sustainable future free of ridiculously sized boxes that are mostly empty or made from single-use plastics.
According to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) bill that came into effect on February 11, brands should minimise the quantities of packaging and waste generated. Companies have an 18-month grace period to transition towards a sustainable circular economy that uses less raw materials.
In effect, this regulation demands the abandonment of unnecessary packaging that takes more weight and volume than is needed to safely deliver the product. Though not alone in this position, Intel’s Core i9-9900K and AMD’s Threadripper 2950X boxes come to mind. Additionally, a minimum percentage of recycled content must be used in packaging by 2040. Nvidia seems to have already started preparing with its Founders Edition RTX 50 Series cardboard boxes, which walk the fine line of stylish and sustainable.
Naturally, most forum discussions have turned towards bundled coolers as a potential means of reducing unnecessary overheads. Cheap alternatives from the likes of Thermalright and Cooler Master often prove more effective than first-party solutions from AMD and Intel. While it’s nice to have everything you need ready to go right out the box, most tend to ditch the stock cooler to improve heat dissipation anyway.
It’s all a nice idea to preserve the environment, but this particular route could have the opposite effect on low-end and budget CPUs. Should users have to source their own cooler, that would lead to increased consumer costs and double the packaging in theory. It all comes down to how many people truly use stock models. I imagine CPU manufacturers will likely look elsewhere for solutions instead.
Love it or hate it, change is coming and will likely affect you even if you live outside of the EU – just like how the Type-C port is now available on all new iPhones. We may be witnessing the end of fancy packaging that takes part in the user experience.
