The Voluntary Agreement
The Games Consoles Voluntary Agreement, (also referred to
as the Self-Regulatory Initiative, SRI) aims to reduce the
environmental impact of games consoles over their life cycle.
It aims to achieve energy savings and material efficiency through better design, thus benefiting the environment without compromising console performance and gaming experience.
It also includes provisions to align with the European Commission’s proposed action plan on the Circular Economy. It is the result of many years of work carried out by the the Signatories of the VA (Microsoft Corporation, Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.) in consultation with the European Commission, civil society organisations and EU Member States.
The VA sets energy and resource efficiency requirements for various types of mains-powered games consoles placed on the market within EU countries and the UK. Signatories are also required to provide information regarding energy and resource efficiency.