#mtg ff

Final Fantasy VII is the poster child for the Final Fantasy series and what makes the game so important since its release 30 years ago, is the many themes the game is about. One big theme in the game is the environmentalism aspect and how fossil fuels (mako) eventually end up destroying the planet, with the supporting character Barret constantly tying in this theme to the forefront.

With the released MTG collaboration, I once again thought about how not having to care about the environment is a privilege.

Why?

Because the cards come packaged in plastic foil and the company did not care for a more environmentally friendly approach to their product with for example recycled paper. This is made worse by the fact that a certain amount of cards is present in multiple packages and not all in one, if that is worded correctly.

In the United States alone, approximately 40 million tons of plastic waste are generated each year with a big part of it comingg from packaging.

The problem with this is that only a small part of plastic waste gets recycled, around 5%.

A significant amount of plastic waste in the US comes from plastic packaging, around 40%, that plays a big role in micro plastic contamination and (of course) environmental pollution.

As you can see in this graphic, the relation between generated material and recycled material is nearer for the materials cardboard, paper, aluminum and steel than for the materials PET bottles, rigids and HDPE bottles. (HDPE bottles are used for milk if you did not know this.)

Every product that you buy matters, because everything you buy influences something. Whether it be the gain made by the seller or the trash that gets left behind because of this product, made by your choice to buy it.

Of all plastic waste 0.5% ends up in the oceans.

That may seem small but that is still 0.5% too much. At least one million tonnes of plastic enters the ocean each year and we can see the effects of this 0.5% today, as fish caught for human consumption contain micro plastic inside their bodies or sea creatures getting strangled because of caught plastic waste like sea lions. One can only think about what life would be like, if it wasn't "just" 0.5% but 30% or 75% or any higher number.

We live in a time where environment conscious living gets more important by the second and this short rant is an appeal to everyone who thinks about buying that card game or new merch of their favorite games like plush toys made from polyester or plastic dolls.

The same goes for IKEA and the illegal deforestation of national parks in Romania or Ukraine, the Siberian Forest in Russia or IKEAs biggest supplier Brazil being accused of environmental damage and sued for environmental crimes. The illegal logging of Ukraines forest is one of the reasons why I say you cannot claim to support Ukraine and then go shopping at IKEA.

someone at wotc said that during the mouse times but eh, still holds up

Me?