Recycling Trial Announced – New Life For Old Sprues

[Dried]

3 hours ago, Special Officer Doofy said:

 

Never said it was the same people, so no worries. More of a general statement that GW can't win so why even try. The idea that recycling the plastic is somehow GW's responsiblility in the first place is just silly. Coke and Pepsi are not responsible for recycling the plastic, aluminum or glass of their bottles and cans. Whether it is mostly just for PR or some tax incentive, or it is a futile attempt, at least it is a step in the right direction.

In fact with the Polluter Pays principle they are in part responsible.
Not to forgot Coca Cola is the biggest polluter in the world and undermined the plastic recycling effort directly for years. They have to pay for the waste they are producing (or taking care of it themselves) because the collectivity shouldn't bear the cost alone of the recycling/disposal with what they are making profit of. (In short they are using single use plastic because it's cheaper because they don't support all the costs of it's life cycle, the let the collectivity do)
Blaming all on the consumer is a way to detract from the copanies making those wait and let them do nothing to improve their ways.

But yeah for GW I applause this initiative, I hope it will be done rightly and expand globally.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Dried

[Doghouse]

13 hours ago, MegaVolt87 said:

Looks like potential corpo greenwashing to me. Any UK business people know if there are any tax advantages/ subsidies a company could get by doing such an initiative ? At the very least, it looks good on environmental impact statements and might hood wink/ give an excuse for those ethical investment funds to buy GW stocks for portfolio's. 

 

The UK government has various tax incentives and credits available for companies that engage in environmentally sustainable practices, such as recycling. However, these incentives and credits typically apply to larger-scale initiatives, such as investing in renewable energy or reducing carbon emissions, rather than small-scale recycling programs.

 

By implementing the plastic sprue recycling initiative, Games Workshop is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and responsible corporate behavior, which can have broader implications for the company's reputation and relationship with stakeholders, including investors, customers, and employees. In the long run, this can translate into economic benefits for the company, such as increased sales and reduced costs through improved efficiency and resource management.

[Captain Idaho]

I appreciate most of that in principle, Doghouse, but no one is buying GW models because of their perceived green credentials. 

 

I reckon this initiative will quietly go away if it doesn't turn profitable (including money saving) as I don't believe a large corporation with shareholders would do anything else just to be good.

[Noserenda]

9 minutes ago, Captain Idaho said:

I appreciate most of that in principle, Doghouse, but no one is buying GW models because of their perceived green credentials. 

 

I reckon this initiative will quietly go away if it doesn't turn profitable (including money saving) as I don't believe a large corporation with shareholders would do anything else just to be good.

Good publicity is its own reward ;) 

Besides, if i was choosing between a couple of model ranges green cred might be a tie breaker, it certainly has been in other areas, we need to support good efforts even if they are a bit token, its still an improvement.

[Nephaston]

Another, admittedly not too realistic, way to recycle sprues without actually recycling them into models could be shredding them into grit to sell as basing "sand" that you can glue on with plastic glue and prime along with the miniature. Not that you couldn't do that before but solutions for problems that didn't exist seems to be a GW staple.

 

Would keep it out of a landfill and GW could potentially turn it into money.

[MegaVolt87]

6 hours ago, Doghouse said:

 

The UK government has various tax incentives and credits available for companies that engage in environmentally sustainable practices, such as recycling. However, these incentives and credits typically apply to larger-scale initiatives, such as investing in renewable energy or reducing carbon emissions, rather than small-scale recycling programs.

 

By implementing the plastic sprue recycling initiative, Games Workshop is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and responsible corporate behavior, which can have broader implications for the company's reputation and relationship with stakeholders, including investors, customers, and employees. In the long run, this can translate into economic benefits for the company, such as increased sales and reduced costs through improved efficiency and resource management.

 

"Fantastic company statement, I'm off to my stockbroker."- potential investors. 

[frankendoodle65]

Am I the only one thinking it's a great scheme to get people into their stores for impulse buys? I mainly buy online from Darksphere or Wayland, but next time I'm in Plymouth I may as well drop off some sprues for recycling. 

Will I be tempted to pick up some space marines and a few pots of paint while I'm there? Probably. 

 

Well played games workshop, well played...

[Captain Idaho]

3 hours ago, Noserenda said:

Good publicity is its own reward ;) 

Besides, if i was choosing between a couple of model ranges green cred might be a tie breaker, it certainly has been in other areas, we need to support good efforts even if they are a bit token, its still an improvement.

 

Yeah it can be. But I don't know if it really pays off being this virtuous. 

 

It goes off subject but companies all around the world are definitely finding being virtuous isn't paying off.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Captain Idaho

[Doghouse]

3 hours ago, Captain Idaho said:

I appreciate most of that in principle, Doghouse, but no one is buying GW models because of their perceived green credentials. 

 

I reckon this initiative will quietly go away if it doesn't turn profitable (including money saving) as I don't believe a large corporation with shareholders would do anything else just to be good.

 

I think you can safely bet that is the sort of company mentality they'll be using based on my own experience of working in big corporate life. These things tend to be about more what they are seen to be doing, if they can get their ESG (environmental, social and governance) rating up it will make them more attractive. I bet a portion of their investors don't really understand or care what it is they do and just look at the stock performance and ESG rating and buy and sell accordingly. We see this all the time where I work, I personally don't think it's about keeping us hobbyists happy though or even know if it's effective as a means of recycling.

[Captain Idaho]

I think you're right there.

[TheWarmaster]

5 hours ago, Noserenda said:

Good publicity is its own reward ;) 

Besides, if i was choosing between a couple of model ranges green cred might be a tie breaker, it certainly has been in other areas, we need to support good efforts even if they are a bit token, its still an improvement.

Agreed. 

1 hour ago, Doghouse said:

 

I think you can safely bet that is the sort of company mentality they'll be using based on my own experience of working in big corporate life. These things tend to be about more what they are seen to be doing, if they can get their ESG (environmental, social and governance) rating up it will make them more attractive. I bet a portion of their investors don't really understand or care what it is they do and just look at the stock performance and ESG rating and buy and sell accordingly. We see this all the time where I work, I personally don't think it's about keeping us hobbyists happy though or even know if it's effective as a means of recycling.

Appreciate the insight, Doghouse. 

[Domhnall]

Once it's all said and done, does it really matter why they are doing this, and more that they are doing this? 

I've been reading for years now on here that people want GW to provide a recycling bin to put their used Sprues in, and now they are doing this they're getting stick for it? 

 

Are they doing it for the good of the planet? Meh, that's a bonus. 

Are they doing it for good publicity? Most probably

Are they doing it because they get a pat on the back from the powers that be, a tick in a box on a form, and tax incentives for the appearance of doing something green? Most definitely.*

 

But they are doing something, and some sprues getting "recycled" is better than no sprues being recycled. Not all of us want to make sprue glue or reuse our own, not all of us are able to go into a store to recycle their sprues. But if a small percentage can, they that's something.

 

* Will they filter any cost savings/income from said efforts back into the pockets of the consumer?  oh, we do love a good jest. 

[Orange Knight]

I have always recycled old sprues anyway. You can dump them into regular recycling once you're done with them.

 

This initiative is decent as an idea, but I wonder how worthwhile it will be. I doubt it will be profitable, but it could be worth doing for the social kudos that our society is obsessed with.

[Mazer Rackham]

It is very likely a Carbon Credits scheme. Big money in being green, that's why every company is doing it, and yes, as Orange Knight said, looks good to the huddled masses too.

 

Hello support group, my name's Mazer, and I'm an Unremitting Cynic.

[Beaky Brigade]

They say the sprues will be recycled into playground equipment, but I bet the GW shareholders and directors actually hate children! I'm going to avoid this clever scam by burning my sprues in the garden. 

[Malakithe]

3 hours ago, Beaky Brigade said:

They say the sprues will be recycled into playground equipment, but I bet the GW shareholders and directors actually hate children! I'm going to avoid this clever scam by burning my sprues in the garden. 

Oh thats a step up from what ive been doing just digging holes in the neighbors yard and burying them

[Dark Shepherd]

23 minutes ago, Malakithe said:

Oh thats a step up from what ive been doing just digging holes in the neighbors yard and burying them

Im blessed/cursed with 130 year old floorboards in my house, so I banish mine through a gap in the floor where Ive lost several small parts over the years :)

 

Hellstorm Wargaming pointed out theyre no longer shrinkwrapping boxes, even its a greenwashing cover to save money its still a win win

[Cactus]

1 hour ago, Dark Shepherd said:

Im blessed/cursed with 130 year old floorboards in my house, so I banish mine through a gap in the floor where Ive lost several small parts over the years :)

Future archeologists are going to go wild for your house! "This miniature plastic head with mechanical eyepiece probably served some ritual purpose. The scattered strips of the same material may be some kind of offering."

[Kastor Krieg]

About the only real life case where the phrase "virtue signalling" is actually applicable.

[Malakithe]

12 hours ago, Dark Shepherd said:

Im blessed/cursed with 130 year old floorboards in my house, so I banish mine through a gap in the floor where Ive lost several small parts over the years :)

 

Hellstorm Wargaming pointed out theyre no longer shrinkwrapping boxes, even its a greenwashing cover to save money its still a win win

If you do that enough youll eventually fill those gaps in and maybe even help your foundation

[Xenith]

On 3/7/2023 at 9:38 PM, Doghouse said:

more to do with ESG to attract future investors.

 

On 3/7/2023 at 9:59 PM, Flaherty said:

this is almost certainly an exercise in ESG box-checking and not an independently viable initiative.

 

On 3/8/2023 at 7:36 AM, Captain Idaho said:

It is likely for PR and virtue signalling

 

ESG/PR or not, if every company in the world started doing ESG box ticking, then that's still a hell of a lot of progress.

 

Even downcycling sprues into plastic bags or mobile phone covers is a hell of a lot greener than the current option which is that they go into the bin and get burned at your local waste depot (which is classed as 'green energy' in the UK). 

 

Again, GW's damned if they do, and damned if they dont, as people complain that they're evil because they don't do anything with old sprues, then when they actually do something with old sprues, they're crucified by the cynics for greenwashing/ESG box ticking/submitting to public pressure (by the same people that applied that public pressure).

Edited March 10, 2023 by Xenith

[Captain Idaho]

I'm a cynic mate and don't believe they'll introduce anything that actually helps. A local example to me - a few years back our local council went mad for recycling a while back and we all got enthusiastic about it. Local companies joined in and everyone thought we were making a difference... then it turned out they were just burning half of it and the rest shoved into landfill.

 

When I say I think they're virtue signalling, I'm saying I don't believe they'll walk the walk after talking the talk.

 

But then, this is something I'm happy to be wrong on, as being wrong on this means they've sorted a problem.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Captain Idaho

[Firedrake Cordova]

 

On 3/9/2023 at 10:24 AM, Orange Knight said:

I have always recycled old sprues anyway. You can dump them into regular recycling once you're done with them.

It very much depends on what your local council will take, I'm afraid. Despite living in a borough with one of the highest rates of recycling in the country, my local council don't take model sprues because it's not on the list of plastics their sub-contractor can process.  On the plus side, my local GW is on the list of those taking part, and is within walking distance from the office ...  

Edited March 10, 2023 by Firedrake Cordova

[Captain Idaho]

I don't know the science of it, but always thought plastic was plastic so it was disappointing to realise it wasn't the case!

 

I don't want to take it off subject, but last time this came up someone showed how you can melt the sprues for personal use in moulds... I know we use 3D printers, but could 3D printers create moulds for others to utilise this technique etc? Then build our own model parts that way?

 

I ask this for the alternate to whatever GW establishes. As some of us don't live near a GW etc. Be nice to have additional ways to dispose of sprues. I do hate the idea of my council dumping them in the ocean.

Edited March 10, 2023 by Captain Idaho

[Doghouse]

1 hour ago, Xenith said:

 

 

 

ESG/PR or not, if every company in the world started doing ESG box ticking, then that's still a hell of a lot of progress.

 

Even downcycling sprues into plastic bags or mobile phone covers is a hell of a lot greener than the current option which is that they go into the bin and get burned at your local waste depot (which is classed as 'green energy' in the UK). 

 

Again, GW's damned if they do, and damned if they dont, as people complain that they're evil because they don't do anything with old sprues, then when they actually do something with old sprues, they're crucified by the cynics for greenwashing/ESG box ticking/submitting to public pressure (by the same people that applied that public pressure).

 

This the way I look at it. My responses are through corporate management speak, over the last fifteen years I've seen lots of little initiatives like this come and go. Where I work we've done work repainting schools, fund raising for a local hospice, all sorts of charity drives, recycling awareness, carbon footprint initiatives but at the end of the day the cold hard truth is the majority of it is like I say to benefit the reputation of the company and make them more appealing to investors. The PR aspect is minimal and at best you will only get coverage at local newspaper level or a small pat on the back blurb on the company website.

 

Now that's the cynical corporate bit out of the way.

 

The truth is those of us doing this kind of charity work are not doing it for the company we're doing it because we care and believe in what are doing to improve the lives of others effectively using company time to help others. This results in a win win scenario for everyone, company improves it's image and we get the resources to help others that are in need.

I'm sure there are people that on the ground level at GW who believe that this is doing some good and the best thing that customers who want to support this is to do is make it a success by bringing in old sprues and making sure that there is a sufficient usage to warrant them continuing the scheme.

 

So the bottom line is if people think they are doing good reward them by using the program and help make it a success. Get your local club involved and spread the word amongst your gaming friends. The danger lies in people saying it is a good thing but not supporting it because at the end of the day if it's not being used then the partnership will most likely be disbanded where as if it is a success you have a greater chance of it going global.

 

The other thing to do is look into the company that they have partnered with and make sure they are capable of fulfilling their part of the bargain and not just chucking it in a land fill or burning it.