In August 2023, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless became the first gaming headset to be certified according to TCO Certified. So, what is TCO Certified and why does it matter? We answer all that and more below.
Sustainability at SteelSeries
Video games are awesome. There’s no limit to how awesome they can be and we have the power to help gamers through our brand, our vision, and our products.
At SteelSeries, we believe in doing things the right way and we have always strived to create the best possible gaming equipment and deliver industry-leading innovations to the world.
For more than two decades, SteelSeries has been a driving force in esports and gaming. From sponsoring the first pro teams to creating products specifically for pros to turning exceptional players into global superstars, SteelSeries has been growing the industry and helping gamers find glory by developing products that make gaming more competitive and more fun.
Now, we are ramping up our efforts to make our products more sustainable.
Sustainability is complex; to make a product more sustainable requires careful consideration of everything from carbon emissions, to materials toxicity, product longevity, product safety to human rights.
Introducing TCO Certified
We wanted a sustainability certification that considers all these areas so that we could have the most holistic sustainability assessment possible to help us understand how well we are performing right now, and how we can improve in the future. This is where TCO Certified comes in.
TCO Certified is a global sustainability certification for IT products, managed by Sweden-based TCO Development. The certification goes beyond traditional considerations of performance and functionality; it also evaluates the environmental and social aspects of a product throughout its life cycle. This encompasses factors such as raw material extraction, hazardous substances, circularity, socially responsible manufacturing, and environmentally responsible manufacturing.
To achieve the TCO Certified designation, compliance with all criteria has been independently verified to ensure that both SteelSeries and the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless meet the stringent social and environmental criteria of TCO Certified.
Why does it matter?
TCO Certified includes a comprehensive system of sustainability criteria, independent verification and a structured system for continuous improvement to drive real and lasting change. With the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless now certified, we have met the mandatory criteria of TCO Certified across a range of environmental and social impact areas.
The verification process highlighted both the positives, like our user-replaceable battery feature, but also the areas where we can improve, and we will be working on this for future product releases.
That being said, sustainability is also about transparency, so it is important to say that TCO Certified designation does not make the Arctis Nova Pro Wireless a fully sustainable product, but this is our ultimate aim, and we are working hard to make this a future reality.
What’s next?
This is the first SteelSeries headset certified according to TCO Certified. But, we are already considering applying for other products in the future. We are also working on other product sustainability initiatives, and next year we will be releasing our first product using post-consumer recycled plastics. You can see an overview of our approach to sustainability here. Watch this space!
