Design Life-Cycle

Sophie Martinez

DES 40A A03 F2021

2 December 2021

Professor Cogdell

Nintendo Wii Raw Materials

Technology in the gaming industry is under constant demand for progress with consumers looking for faster and better graphic capabilities. So while the Nintendo Wii was a highly anticipated gaming console, paving the way for motion capture interaction, when it was released in 2006, it would inevitably end as waste in million's of household garbage bins once its replacement hit the market. However, up until its discontinuation in 2013, Nintendo was continuously obtaining raw materials to be manufactured into Wiis, expending materials during distribution, and frequently fulfilling replacement parts. But the life cycle of this console carries on to its disposal and component breakdown as these require material and energy consumption of their own. Although Nintendo has established environmentally-conscious initiatives and have opted for less critical materials in packaging, an analysis into the Nintendo Wii life cycle shows how the overall raw material depletion was harmful from its acquisition, manufacturing, distribution, use, to its resultant disposal.

The main components of the Wii can be split into two separate acquisition stages for the console itself from the outer design to the internal mechanics. The entire white or black glossy plastic shell of the Wii is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, plastic, a thermoplastic polymer (Nintendo Wii Teardown). ABS can be sold through suppliers as granules, but according to Nintendo's 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility report, Nintendo does not own actual facilities for manufacturing. Instead, they depend on a chain of suppliers to source materials. These factories will synthesize ABS which requires readily available organic compounds; styrene, acrylonitrile, and polybutadiene; which are combined with oils and fuels (Turner). The damages that come with synthesizing ABS are not as effective to the planet, but more to the users and people who interact with it. While the particles released in synthesis are not identified as carcinogens, overexposure can cause respiratory damages. Overall, there is very little research on the long term effects of ABS exposure, but like most petroleum-based polymers, there are concerns with an overdependence on non-organic compounds. Some of the finer details of the outer design, buttons or grips, are made of silicone. The main element in silicone is silica which is one of the most common minerals and harvested from the Earth's crust. However, while it is readily available, a byproduct of mining, called Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), is the pollution that is damaging to the environment. SPM are microparticles that, when dispersed from mining, coat leaves and plants disrupting photosynthesis and cellular respiration causing thousands of plants to die (Mishra). 

For the internal circuits, Nintendo requires common metal alloys like aluminium, iron, or copper foils, pure metals of tin, tungsten, tantalum, as well as precious metals such as palladium and silver. These are provided under the scope of Nintendo's suppliers (SORs) which include refineries, mining facilities, and smelters (Whitehead). These may be generated at one of 266 of Nintendo's SORs from China, Japan, Vietnam, and one facility in Rwanda which in turn all acquire oil or other natural fuels (Nintendo1) (Snider). The final material that is obtained during this phase includes glass which is formed from fuels, providing heat, and sand. Sand, like silica, is an extremely abundant mineral that accounts for approximately 85% of mineral extraction. Sand is often found and dredged from waterways which expands these bodies of water and partially drains them within the space they fill. This makes these areas increasingly susceptible to drought and diminishes the fish population by eliminating breeding areas (Pearce). 

Moving forward into manufacturing, these raw materials are processed into more usable ones such as refined metals and synthesized plastics. ABS plastic undergoes a process called injection molding where fuels apply heat to a cylinder filled with the polymer granules and the plastic is injected into a mold taking the shape of the Wii's outer shell. To finish more of the outer design, silicone is also synthesized and injection molded. Depending on batch size, these polymer shaping processes can produce these forms at a high rate with a lower amount of natural fuels being expended (Plastic Collectors). 

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the main tech elements that function the Wii (Electronic Manufacturing Services Group, Inc). These utilize a large majority of the mined metals and both in the structure and in soldering. PCBs use the copper foils and glass with aluminium screws holding these layers together and the tin or lead soldering for finishing (Grand). This use of lead for soldering is on a much smaller scale than other electronics lead use, but can still produce noxious fumes that are released (UC San Diego). The most significant automation that sets the Wii apart from other gaming consoles is its Infrared sensors that allow the motion detection interactions. These robotics use Fresnel sensors (glass/bronze), pyroelectric sensors (metal alloys), diodes (tungsten and silicon) (Al-Ajrash), and infrared filters (glass and silica). Numerous primary fuels (coal, oil, gases) are absorbed in this process of layering these sensor's mechanics as well as through testing and calibration (Casamassina). At a much different scale than product distribution, all the materials are shipped and collected at Nintendo's numerous manufacturing facilities to be pieced together into a final product.

Transportation does not require any new raw materials to be harvested but relies more on materials that provide energy such as oils, coal, and other fossil fuels. While transportation is the most energy demanding, packing and distribution is Nintendo's most environmentally conscious phase regarding materials. In Nintendo's Environmental Measures Report, they released statements and reports assuring the use of recycled paper and recycled plastic in their packaging. Unfortunately, Nintendo's reports on where they source these recycled materials is not clearly stated and there are no reports confirming follow through on these claims (Nintendo2). This statement is also more recently making it untraceable to where it was initially established. With the Wii coming up prior to more definitive calls for action regarding the environment, it is likely the Wii packaging did not utilize these recycled materials (Whitehead). This also applies to Nintendo's statements that they exclusively use vegetable-based inks for printing. The non-recycled plastics that are commonly used to package and ship gaming consoles include low density polyethylene (LDPE) (Kyaw). LDPE has many advantageous material properties from a manufacturing viewpoint, but one of the largest negative properties is it's corrosion resistance and resistance from biodegradation. Like ABS, LDPE poses many health dangers for the users and factory workers such as methane when exposed to prolonged heat. 

After distribution, the product falls into the hands of the user. While consumers don't directly affect any new material acquisition, the same materials are still being obtained by Nintendo to provide replacements and new Wii consoles. From 2008-2010, Wii consoles saw its largest unit sale averaging at about 20 million per year. These were years into the official release of the Wii, so with large sales also came numerous damages requiring replacement parts to be individually sourced and distributed (Vailshery). To use the Wii, there was also increased manufacturing of game disks that made the consoles playable. This drew in more materials such as a new petroleum-based plastic, polycarbonate, additional ABS, and aluminum coatings. This combination of materials both release greenhouse gases when created and do not biodegrade. Meaning with the discontinuation of the Wii, these disks would also be made unusable and have to be disposed of (New York League of Conservation Voters). 

While it was discontinued in 2013, the Wii was still enjoyed for years among nostalgic gamers before becoming a checkpoint in Nintendo's history. Sales on third party websites for the Wii were completely gone by 2017 but while we cannot trace how many users the console has, it would be comparable to its decline in sales. While only a few of these materials listed in acquisition can be directly recycled, the majority of them undergo a disposal process. As a thermoplastic, ABS has the ability to be melted down unlike a thermoset that cannot be melted and reformed. However, ABS cannot be just melted and injection molded again into a new shape. The liquid polymer is repeatedly processed through a water filter system in order to remove all contaminants like metal particles or other plastics. Compared to other plastic alternatives, ABS is a more environmentally safe choice regarding reuse. This is assuming consumers dispose of their console properly. Improper disposal causes ABS to break down as microplastics which can be consumed by animals, spread across forests, or ingested by people (Scott). Regarding other assembled products, PCBs and IR sensors cannot be reused as well as any molded silicone, nylon, and polyester.

The peak use of Nintendo's Wii occurred over 10 years ago. This makes the environmental impacts and methods of material acquisition more difficult to determine as Nintendo frequently changed their methods and with the global attitude toward climate change forcing more effective changes. By reflecting on material properties and current material mining methods, it can be assumed how Nintendo functioned in their manufacturing and disposal methods. While there are some materials that show better sustainable choices such as ABS plastic and recycled paper, the summation of mining metals and minerals, constructing PCBs and IR sensors, synthesizing polymers, and disposal all show damaging impacts on the environment and material resources. With the gaming industry not showing any indications of losing popularity or less product demand, as consumers we can only hope that gaming companies such as Nintendo recognize the influences of quick production and adapt.

Bibliography

Al-Ajrash, Saja. "Processing of Carbon-Silicon Carbide Hybrid Fibers". The School of Engineering of the University of Dayton. University of Dayton. December 2019. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/apexprod/rws_etd/send_file/send?accession=dayton1575987386019875&disposition=inline. 

Casamassina, Matt. "Making Sense of the Sensor Bar". IGN. j2 Global. 15 June 2012. https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/29/making-sense-of-the-sensor-bar. 

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Grand, Joe. "Printed Circuit Board Deconstruction Techniques". Grand Idea Studio, Inc. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency. 2021. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1078.3982&rep=rep1&type=pdf.

IFixIt. "Nintendo Wii Teardown". IFixIt Teardown. IFixIt. 7 June 2009. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nintendo+Wii+Teardown/812. 

Kyaw, Bhone. "Biodegradation of Low Density Polythene (LDPE) by Pseudomonas Species".  US National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. 5 Feb 2012. doi: 10.1007/s12088-012-0250-6.

Mishra, Ashutosh. "Impact of silica mining on environment." Journal of Geography and Regional Planning. Geography Department, University of Allahabad, Allahabad. 27 May 2015. doi: 5897/JGRP2015.0495

New York League of Conservation Voters. "Hidden Environmental Impacts of New Technologies". New York League of Conservation Voters. 24 Jul 2018. https://nylcv.org/news/hidden-environmental-impacts-new-technologies/. 

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Nintendo’s Products, Services and Business Activities". CSR Report. Nintendo. Nintendo Co, Ltd. 2021. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/csr/en/pdf/nintendo_csr2021e.pdf#page=7. 

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Plastic Collectors. "What Is ABS Plastic And Is It Recyclable?". Plastic Collectors. 23 Apr 2020. https://www.plasticcollectors.com/blog/what-is-abs-plastic/.

Scott, Miles. "5 Reasons Why ABS Needs To Go Away". All3DP. 16 Sept 2017. https://all3dp.com/5-reasons-why-abs-needs-to-go-away/.

Snider, Mike. "Nintendo to move some Switch console production out of China to Vietnam". USA 

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Turner, Daniel. "Hack: The Nintendo Wii". MIT Technology Review. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1 Jul, 2007. https://www.technologyreview.com/2007/07/01/271887/hack-the-nintendo-wii/. 

UC San Diego. "Lead Soldering Safety." blink. Regents of the University of California. 6 Oct 2020. https://blink.ucsd.edu/safety/occupational/hazard-control/lead-soldering.html.

Vailshery, Lionel. "Nintendo Wii and Wii U console sales 2007-2018." Statista. 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/349078/nintendo-wii-and-wii-u-console-sales/.

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 Marxel Kohl

Professor Christina Cogdel

Design 040A

12 December, 2021

Energy Expended Throughout the Life Cycle of the Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Corporation has been renowned worldwide for their ability to provide high quality, and relatively affordable video game consoles/entertainment to consumers for over 38 years. As time progressed for Nintendo, and with discussions of the state of energy consumption on the rise, the company had made a pledge to attempt to increase the power efficiency within their consoles, in order to combat the oncoming effects of prolonged energy consumption. Shortly after initiating this pledge, Nintendo had gone onwards to design and create a console which would be one of the best selling devices throughout the company’s history: the Nintendo Wii, with this device selling approximately 101 million copies (Bitbuilt.net). Throughout the lifetime of this console, from its release in 2006 to its halting of production in 2012, Nintendo has boasted on how the Wii holds a higher degree of energy efficiency when placed against competing consoles. Despite holding the title of being one of the most successful and energy efficient consoles of it’s time, the Nintendo Wii consumes detrimental amounts of energy both before and after its initial usage. 

Before the Nintendo Wii became the energy efficient console it was known as, raw materials which are both extremely scarce and consume large quantities of energy to mine, must be extracted in order to create the needed parts for the console. Since the Wii is primarily a chip-based system crucial materials needed would include, but are not limited to, metal alloys, fiberglass, copper, gold, iron, silica, aluminum, nitriles, and tin (Jeff C.). With copper being the most prominent metal throughout the Wii, the means of extracting this material (alongside the many others) is both a very energy intensive and tedious process. In order to extract the required metals, a process known as surface mining is the most common way to obtain copper, which utilizes human power alongside diesel powered machinery (Energy and Environmental Profile of the Mining Industry). After the initial mining phase of the needed materials, they are shipped off to a refinement center through gasoline powered vehicles, where the ores are then crushed up and sorted out for salvageable metals (Energy and Environmental Profile of the Mining Industry). During this phase of refinement, only a small portion of the materials will be salvaged (Energy and Environmental Profile of the Mining Industry). Once the metals have been refined and are ready for manufacturing, they are loaded onto a cargo vessel powered through diesel, in order to be shipped to their assembly plant (Energy and Environmental Profile of the Mining Industry). 

As the refined materials are loaded and driven off to technology assembly factories owned by Foxconn (a prime manufacturer for almost all Nintendo products), there are various ways in which the supposedly eco-clean facilities still consume substantial amounts of energy. Despite the manufacturing process of the Wii not being released by both the Foxconn and Nintendo corporation, various sources were able to leak video footage of a Wii manufacturing center, which valuable information could be taken from. Once the refined materials reach the assembly factory, they are then mechanically separated and formulated into the various parts of the Wii (such as the thermoplastic casing, processing chips, etc) (Conroy, Shaun, et al). After the tedious process of the device’s creation, the numerous parts then move down a electricity powered conveyor belt as they are swiftly assembled by human employees, and are then mechanically transported into a separate area for packaging (R. Barr). When the devices move down their final conveyor belt, they are packaged by both human workers and electricity powered machines so that they are ready to be shipped abroad (Conroy, Shaun, et al). In order to power just one of these manufacturing sites, it would take approximately 95.1 kWh of electricity per day (U.S. Energy Information Administration). 

After the Wii has gone through the process of assembly and manufacturing, delivery trucks often powered by gasoline and/or diesel fuel must transport the newly produced consoles to their designated shipping sites, which can vary depending on the required destination. Although not much data is provided specifically on the shipping process of the Wii, it is best to assume that this product shares a similar transportation procedure with other high-demand technologies, and the data provided will be based upon general shipping of such technological devices. Before the Wii arrives in a country separate from where it was manufactured, the device will usually be transported globally via maritime vessels. When a large amount of technological devices, such as the Wii, are loaded onto a shipping vessel, they are loaded onto the boat through a gas powered crane; and once the loading of all devices are complete, the vessel (often powered by a sulphur-based bunker/diesel fuel oil) will take anywhere from 6-15 days to arrive to its destination, depending on the location (Gullacci, Maria). Many of these shipping vessels will travel at around 23-28 MPH, and will consume approximately 225 tons of fuel per day (International Forwarding Association). Whereas when a Wii is shipped to a certain region/country through means of aircraft, it will usually take up just as much energy, and arrive at its designated country at a much quicker rate (Boeing). Once the loading of goods through means of physical labor is finalised, aircrafts which utilize a kerosine-based fuel will take approximately 3-5 days ; many cargo aircraft will travel at speeds of 560 MPH, and use around 288 tons of fuel for each day (Boeing). After the large masses of Wiis reach their designated country and/or region through means of aircraft or maritime vessels, they are then mechanically/physically loaded onto transportation vehicles powered through diesel fuel, and driven off to a multitude of chain stores (BitBuilt.net). 

Once a Wii is purchased by an eager buyer from a chain store and then taken to a household, it is then connected to the owner’s electricity unit and put to use; during this phase of usage for the Wii, it desires constant energy use both when in operation and during its standby mode. When looking more closely at the initial averages of the Wii, with approximately 101 million units sold worldwide, and with its use averaging at around 2.8 hours per week,; despite selling a mammoth amount of consoles, the Wii had considerably less usage time when compared to that of the Playstation 3 (8.2 hours per week) or Xbox 360 (9.8 hours per week) (E. Hittinger). Although these numbers appear to uphold Nintendo’s promise for a more energy efficient console, a majority of  Wii consumers both enabled internet connectivity for their device, and did not unplug the system while it was in standby mode, making this console consume mammoth amounts of energy (E. Hittinger). As one examines the more energy efficient side of the Wii, when internet connectivity is dissabled for this device, it will consume an average of 45 Wh of electricity per week when in use, and will consume around 315 Wh of electricity while in standby mode (E. Hittinger). On the other hand, when internet connection is enabled for the Wii, it will utilize 45 Wh of electricity when in use, and will consume around 1491 Wh of energy while in standby mode (E. Hittinger). Although , this console can still pave the road for more energy consumption, even after its initial use. 

When a Wii console has completed it’s window of use, meaning it had either broken down or the user lost interest in the device, it will undergo one of two phases for the waste cycle: shipment off to a landfill, or the selling of salvagable parts to eager buyers online. As for the first and more energy intensive option, waste by means of a landfill, this begins with a Wii being tossed into a garbage tote/dumpster, which is then transferred to a waste delivery truck fueled by diesel gas (John-Micheal Cross). Shortly after the Wii is delivered and placed into a landfill, fossil fueled electricity is utilized in order to power and keep maintenance (primarily to operate machinery and small offices) to one of the many landfills hosting this device (John-Micheal Cross). When considering the second option of recycling/reselling parts of a Wii, although this route is more energy efficient on certain occasions, some forms of power are still needed within this process. Once a non-functional Wii is torn open and stripped for reusable parts, users will often go to online forums in order to sell such parts to individuals who desire them; and after a purchase is made of the needed part(s), depending on the location from seller to buyer, these parts will be shipped to the customer by means of diesel fueled shipping vehicles, or cargo planes powered through kerosine fuel (Boeing). 

As a final glance is taken upon the Wii and it’s stance of energy embodiment, it is shown that despite the Wii holding the title for being an energy efficient console, gaming companies must prioritise energy efficient means of production over large profit if the standard for energy efficient consoles are ever going to make drastic improvements. In order to reduce the consumption of energy in the world of video game consoles, companies must search for a way to rely upon clean sources of energy and material extraction for devices of the future. This would include utilizing green energy sources such as solar or wind energy to power factories, recycling materials from previous consoles (if possible) when forming new processing chips, continuing the search for more energy-efficient transportation vessels to ship these consoles, and refined ways to increase the recycling or reuse of older-generation consoles. Although companies such as Nintendo have slowly been improving their means of energy consumption, progress must be upheld, as the resources and energy needed for these devices are quickly depleting. 

Bibliography

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Carson, Scott. “Aviation and the Environment.” Boeing Fuel Conservation Strategies: Takeoff and Climb, 2017. 

Conroy, Shaun, et al. “How Are Motherboards Made: Understanding the Process of Motherboard Manufacturing.” WePC, 23 Nov. 2021, https://www.wepc.com/tips/how-are-motherboards-made-manufacturing/. 

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Gallucci, Maria. “The Struggle to Make Diesel-Guzzling Cargo Ships Greener.” IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 24 June 2021, https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-struggle-to-make-dieselguzzling-cargo-ships-greener. 

Hittinger, E. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2011, pp. 2–5, Power Consumption of Video Game Consoles Under Realistic Usage Patterns. 

“Types of Cargo Shipped by Sea Freight Transport.” International Forwarding Association , 18 July 2019, https://ifa-forwarding.net/blog/sea-freight-in-europe/types-of-cargo-shipped-by-sea-freight-transport/. 

U.S. Energy Information Administration. Washington D.C, Energy Consumption in Chinese Manufacturing. Https://Www.eia.gov/International/Analysis/Country/CHN. 

“Wii Motherboard Anatomy 101.” BitBuilt, 20 Apr. 2017, https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads%2Fwii-motherboard-anatomy-101.1286%2

Jai-Ren Bernardino-McGuinness

DES 40A FQ 2021

Professor Cogdell

December 1, 2021

Waste and Emissions throughout the Life Cycle of the Nintendo Wii

Since the inception of video games and the shift towards more digitized entertainment, Nintendo has been at the forefront of producing both physical and digital games globally helping popularize more transformative forms of play throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, cultivating and shaping the large-scale gaming industry we see currently today. Though helping popularize sensor-driven motion gameplay throughout the late 2000s, the Nintendo Wii, since released on November 19, 2006, has had an abundance of revisions and remodels throughout its almost decade-long production run. The consoles controllers and extra peripherals made from ABS plastics have had a detrimental effect on the environment due to the excess amount of production that occurred during the initial launch of the gaming system in trying to meet global supply and demand. Contributing to global waste emissions, in creating the Nintendo Wii, transportation of raw materials to craft ABS-plastics, the overall energy output of sourcing these materials globally through trade exchange, as well as the product exchange of secondary materials such as the increased manufacturing process of plastics, the burning of natural gasses, and crude oils expended through the process of obtaining and exporting materials and cargo have negatively impacted our ecosystems and provided towards the recent rise in global categorized plastic electronic waste.

In acquiring raw materials to craft the Nintendo Wii, including silicone, Acrylonititrile Butadiene Styene (ABS) polymer grains, and epoxy resin, iron, copper, and carbon fibers found within Printed Circuit Board (PCB) there happens to be large consumption of potentially hazardous materials when creating the outer shell of the console itself as well as the wiring and electrical components within the controllers and extra peripherals that come bundled in the box (“Learning Center - about Prepregs”). Contributing to global waste emissions when creating the Nintendo Wii, fuels going into collecting, processing, and exporting materials when manufacturing ABS plastics such as coal, oil, gas, etc. have resulted in higher amounts of air pollution and water run-off. As stated in a study completed by the University of California, Berkeley in 2006, “The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has adopted workplace exposure limits for only 193, or about 7%, of the 2,934 chemicals produced or imported in the U.S.” (Wilson 368). Furthermore, researcher Michael P. Wilson illustrates how exposure to materials and chemicals listed above could contribute to 100% of lead poisoning cases, 10% to 35% of asthma cases, 2% to 10% of cancer, and 5% to 20% of neurobehavioral disorder cases during the process of substance and chemical extraction primarily for low-income, minority, and immigrant minors and factory workers (Wilson 368). In the process of extracting grains for ABS blends of plastic and acquiring materials for PCB assembly gas exhaust from extraction to the smelting process include “styrene, toluene, ethylbenzene, methyl styrene”, all capable of producing gastrointestinal problems and skin rashes if inhaled or ingested (Szabo 20). Though the process of collecting materials to produce the Nintendo Wii has had a negative impact regarding both higher emission exhaust for air pollution and water run-off, the product manufacturing process has had a greater negative impact on the environment.

Though a limited amount of specific manufacturing facility protocol remains of the Nintendo Wii’s developmental period in China, the overall exhaust in regard to air and water quality inside and surrounding areas having exhibited that the energy used during the extraction process, assemblage period, and output procedure of sourcing materials throughout PCB production, processed globally through trade exchange have produced an increased amount of chemical, electronic, and solid rubbish waste. The Nintendo Wii uses a combination of processes including synthesized ABS injection molding, silicone synthesized and molding, PCB soldering, and epoxy gluing that takes place to assemble the console. In total, “gross primary fuels to produce 1 kg of ABS” is 980,000 milligrams (mg) in terms of crude oil, 890,000 mg for gas, and 190,000 mg for coal (Boustead 7). In tandem, water consumption as well contributes to both processing and cooling for ABS plastics, totals comprised of 3,800,000 mg for public supply and 30,000,000 mg for seawater to create and compile such parts of the Wii as the IBM Broadway RISC Microprocessor or PCB (Boustead 8). During PCB assemblage, methods for assembly include “drilling, image [transferring], and electroplating”, and though these processes themselves take a moderate amount of energy, the waste expelled from the process greatly outways it (Gerić 1076). Being that metal particles, alkaline residue, and moderately soluble organic polymers have been detected in wastewater, in tandem with airborne contaminants, water-based impurities found within water runoff from production sites have cited ABS, PCB, and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) within the soil and local plants from water pollution in what is referred to as “E-waste processing towns” such as a nearby one to the Nintendo manufacturing facilities in Eastern China, Taizhou where there was an increase of “2-4 times in excess of 0.2 mg/kg the maximum allowable concentration” of toxic byproducts in China’s food exports (Robinson 188). Despite a shift towards more ecofriendly and sustainable production plants, procedures regarding Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA), the process in which the motherboard the Nintendo Wii cited in its initial launch, still is in operation despite it being well over a decade over the Wii’s initial launch. The transportation of the device itself, as well as transporting the various scrap metals, silicon, and synthetic fibers shipped within the Wii have also contributed to the widespread waste production throughout the environment.

Increased manufacturing processes of plastics, the burning of natural gasses, and crude oils expended through the process of obtaining and exporting materials and cargo have contributed to higher amounts of water runoff, waste, and air pollutant emissions. Materials used in the creation of most gaming consoles are transported through railway transport, whereas most of the finished product in the case of the Nintendo Wii and other Nintendo consoles and related merchandise are exported either through airways or out of maritime port facilities. The Nintendo Wii sold well over “5.84 million” by the first end of Nintendo’s fiscal year in 2007, the first year of the Wii’s initial launch, compared to the “25.95 million units” sold in 2009 (Vailshery). Seen in its initial launch, the high production rates of the Wii continued to soar until it was discontinued in 2017, still receiving around “0.11 million unit” sales by the fiscal year’s end (Vailshery). Though discussed thus far production was mainly distributed between Japan and China, however, most of the transportation executed for distribution of the console, system controllers, and shipping containers were exported from the United Kingdom, the United States, or Japan. Recently, in a shift towards more economic and sustainable means of production because of the pandemic, Nintendo has shifted towards closing manufacturing facilities located throughout China and moving mass production to Vietnam (Gilbert). In comparison to each other, China has more so relied on coal as their primary means of carbon exhaust, with well over 947 operating railways in 2009 for trade and exports, not including the 345 operating Chinese Taipei railways used simultaneously, resulting in a total of almost 9000 operating, under construction, and planned railways for the country (233). Pollutant emissions for Vietnam, since it is smaller in comparison, at the time of 2009 was well below the output rate of China and has remained relatively the same since then despite the shift. Interestingly, global efforts have increased towards ensuring sustainable means of transport of Nintendo products, with Nintendo stating, “Nintendo of Europe proactively works to reduce CO2 emissions [through] mainly use [of] rail for inbound containers from European ports… [we] load trucks to full capacity to keep the number of single shipments as low as possible” (Reducing Environmental Load Through Modal Shift, Nintendo). In order to keep the company compliant with global standards, the “Nintendo Co., Ltd’s Green Procurement Standard” has ensured since January 2020 a shift towards European console production using mainly 100% recyclable shrink foil with 50% sugar cane biomass ethanol content when packing and exporting (Country-Specific Packaging Initiatives, Nintendo). Though the transportation of the materials used in the production of the Nintendo Wii, as well as the console itself, contributed to global air and water pollution via plane exhaust, maritime waterway emissions, and land transit, the reusability potential of the Wii far out ways the environmental impact.

Outlined in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, as well as the “Nintendo Product Recycling Support” forum, Nintendo states that they offer a “Take Back Program” in which, through a partnership with UPS” consumers are able to ship their console to the company for no extra charge. Though the consumer may pay no extra charge to repair, exchange, or be reimbursed, for buying a Nintendo console, this process produces extra waste exhaust through transportation of materials and devices, as well as the added production and manufacturing cost of reproducing parts. Nintendo specifies that their consoles have a one hundred recycling rate on “any returned products or [repaired] parts that cannot be re-used” and with a recent shift towards more sustainable electronic waste management schemes Nintendo has processed around “231 tons of returned products with a 99 percent recycled rate” in 2020 (Nintendo Product Recycling, Nintendo). Upholding console upkeep and maintenance, Nintendo ensures that products produced and sourced from their centers have a full warranty. Consumers can choose to send their devices back for full reimbursement or repairment depending on the circumstance and category the device is documented as being faulty in, and the company has procedures in place for repair or eco-friendly disposal.

In keeping consumer trust, Nintendo pledges to partner with country laws on a circumstantial basis. Globally, may it be the Responsible Recycling (R2) standard in North and South America or Green Procurement Standard in Japan, waste and pollutant maintenance are encouraged throughout the final disposal and recycling process. There are various categories of recycling procedures documented to maintain sustainable plastic creation, including, “re-extrusion, mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery”, and Nintendo is documented as using this plastic blend within Wii related products, however, 90-99% of landfill waste can be mitigated through correct incineration of specific plastic blends (Szabo 19). Being that most of the recycling and manufacturing for the Nintendo Wii took place throughout Japan and China, the re-exportation of materials used within ABS compounds and PCB assembly in the process of electronic waste recycling was found in abundance throughout both regions. In a study by the New Zealand Department of Soil and Physical Sciences in 2009, cited from airborne and water samples, one positive was found that soil located nearby E-waste recycling areas in Zhejiang, China was reported to “reduce the germination rate of rice”, however, higher concentrations of PCBs and PBDEs from disposed of electronic waste dust and water run-off from other regions resulted in higher amounts of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PaHs) from oil, Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn)” in the air and throughout soil deposit that only poses problems to human food consumption that could cause indigestion (Robinson 188). In partnership with national recycling affiliates, as well as certified internal company policies that ensure the reuse management of potentially hazardous materials found in the motherboard, controllers, and extra gaming peripherals, Nintendo ensures that environmental conservation is at the forefront of their company standards to discourage waste or runoff created in the process of PCBA or transportation of the consoles itself or found when disposing of excess materials or faulty systems.

The Nintendo Wii has had an extensive number of resources and energy ingrained into it regarding the transportation of the console itself and the materials used to create it, the manufacturing process, and maintenance side throughout its developmental stages, production stage, and commercial run. Despite negative waste impacts on our environment included in the process of harvesting and producing materials for ABS-plastics and PCB assembly, Nintendo ensures production policies that protect the sustainability factor of their company’s creation of video game consoles and contributions to widespread electronic consumer waste.

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