British tech retailer Currys has collaborated with Epic Games’ Fortnite on its new ‘Trash Tycoon’ gaming experience. Is this really academic or is it corporate greenwashing for PR purposes?
Currys, the UK’s largest tech retailer, has created a new “video gaming experience” called “Trash Tycoon” in Epic Games’ Fortnite.
The game sees players navigate a map that visually represents the more than 880 million unused and broken tech items currently stored indefinitely in UK homes. Competing with other players, you will be challenged to remove and recycle as much trash as possible in exchange for real money and prizes.
The Currys say the project aims to help educate Generation Z about e-waste and the value of recycling old and unwanted tech and gaming items. Additionally, the company highlighted how bad the UK is at disposing of tech waste.
Karis surveyed 1000 UK respondents in December 2023.
According to its own research, 75% of the UK population is currently “storing unwanted technology in their homes, despite having no use for it”. 35% avoid recycling e-waste due to lack of information and just under 25% do not understand how to dispose of old technology.
A quarter of those surveyed said they “forgot” to recycle altogether.
Currys also claims that 44% of Gen Z “would be encouraged to recycle more technology if given a cash incentive”, which it offers with its “cash for trash programme”. It offers customers a £5 voucher to bring old, unwanted or broken technology into its stores for recycling.
The Trash Tycoon Project may seem like a noble attempt to educate people about technology and e-waste, but is it that effective? Is the incentive really to reduce the carbon footprint and eliminate waste, or for investors to make a clear and systematic commitment to Currys for climate action?
An obvious condition of this eyebrow-raising project is its big prizes. As part of the contest, players can submit their own custom maps through Fortnite’s level creator using #CurrysTrashTycoon.
