A load of Trubbish: How the Pokemon TCG can be more sustainable

Sustainability and collection-based hobbies don’t often go hand in hand – but how could the Pokemon trading card game be more sustainable and eco-friendly?

One of the most enjoyable things about being a Pokemon TCG fan is ripping into Booster Packs. There’s nothing more exciting than seeing the glimmer of a rare card at the back of a pack, and it’s easy to get swept up in the consumerism of it all.

There are a lot of packs to keep up with, though. At the time of writing, Temporal Forces has just come out, items like the Gardevoir ex League Battle Deck have just hit the market, and Mask of Change is just around the corner. The release schedule for Pokemon is pretty intense, arguably pushing a “gotta buy them all” mentality onto the community.

While it’s not an overly fun topic to think about as a fan, it is worth pointing out that the Pokemon TCG isn’t as sustainable or eco-friendly as it could be. Is it possible for the Pokemon TCG to improve upon this, though?

How could the Pokemon TCG be more eco-friendly?

It’s important to highlight the difference between eco-friendly and sustainable. Eco-friendly refers to something having minimal damage to the planet and can be used in place of the term environmentally friendly.

Sustainability goes a bit further than this. While a recycled packaging company could describe itself as eco-friendly, a sustainable packaging company would need to treat its employees well, reduce their environmental harm, and focus on preserving both resources and the health of the planet. It’s a much more long-term initiative.

One of the main things the Pokemon trading card game can do to make itself more sustainable is slow down. There is simply so much to keep up with as a fan that it can feel quite intense, especially when considering the amount of FOMO in the community.

Slowing down on the number of expansion sets and products per year may not be ideal for The Pokemon Company’s profits, but it would help to lessen the amount of physical stock out there in the world and it could help fans to not feel so overwhelmed, too.

This isn’t to say that TPC should cut the amount of expansion sets in half. Simply making the sets a little smaller and opting for more sustainably sourced materials could be a great way to improve on the TCG’s long-term environmental impact.

Expansion sets have got bigger and bigger in recent years, but who is this actually benefiting? Fans are reportedly frustrated with pull rates in bigger sets like Temporal Forces, and adding more filler into sets increases the likelihood of cards and promotional materials being discarded.

Speaking of materials, the Pokemon TCG does have a decent sustainability policy in place regarding recyclable materials – outlined here. It describes how the vast majority of Pokemon TCG packaging is recyclable, but is this enough?

In all fairness, there have been big reductions in plastic waste from TPC in recent years but it would be amazing to see this trend continue and increase in visibility in 2024.

There’s still an immense amount of materials to consider in Pokemon Center stores and online, like product tags, stickers, and plastic toys. Seeing an outright commitment to not using any single-use plastic in the Pokemon franchise would be incredibly positive, and the company could form partnerships with more sustainable vendors and merchandise producers, too.

Other ways that the Pokemon TCG could get greener

An idea that’s appeared on social media was a recycling program for old and unwanted cards, too. While some old cards are valuable, others are simply worthless once they’re thrown out, so a dedicated program could help to reduce waste significantly.

It could also be beneficial for The Pokemon Company to place more of a focus on sustainability at their live events like EUIC and NAIC, too. Inviting guest speakers with ties to sustainable work, encouraging card swapping and recycling, and hosting vendors from small shops with sustainability practices in place would all be hugely positive.

A reduction in wasteful materials, an increased focus on sustainability at events, and a recycling program for old cards would all help the Pokemon TCG to be much more environmentally friendly and sustainable in the long run.

It’s never going to be perfect – after all, hobbies that focus on collectors do have a consumerist element inherently – but it would be incredible to see some of these changes implemented as a fan. The Pokemon TCG isn’t the worst offender in the TCG world by any means, but it would be great to see even more positive news surrounding sustainability in our community.

2024 is set to be a big year for the Pokemon TCG so here’s hoping that the community sees some changes along these greener lines to prevent the build-up of Trubbish.