We Miss Computex
Over the years, Computex has become somewhat of a tradition, an opportunity for us to meet customers and media in person, catch up with friends, share what we have been working on and exchange ideas. We had hoped 2021 would be the year when things got back to normal but the pandemic continues and we have all had to adapt to this new reality of virtual events, closed borders and social distancing.
Instead of missing out on this entirely (like we did last year), it felt appropriate to use this point in the calendar to give some small updates and share what’s new…
Our Commitment to the Environment
This is the most significant of our announcements today as it will impact all current and future products and is the common theme for today’s news. In the short term, these will be simple changes such as the packaging, but we aim to incorporate this thinking into every aspect of our operation. Most consumers are shielded from the production realities that sustain our modern way of living, but as a manufacturer, we have full exposure. We are very aware of the environmental costs incurred to bring products to market and in light of the trajectory humanity is heading, feel compelled to minimise this to the best of our abilities.
Reducing Our Impact
Fancy product packaging has become somewhat of a requirement, an ambassador for the brand, the first thing a customer sees and has even inspired an entire genre of media review channels based around the ‘unboxing’ experience. One of the many consequences of this is that we often encounter packaging that is of higher quality than the product inside. The adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” seems to have been forgotten in tech. More importantly, this has driven companies to devise ever more exquisite ways to package their product and in doing so has added to the negative environmental impact of manufacturing and distributing products.
We aim to reduce packaging waste whilst still maintaining the level of quality that customers have come to expect from us. This will be achieved through small but important changes like avoiding full-colour print, eliminating plastic handles, switching from EVA to EPE and generally reducing the elements that are not essential in ensuring the product arrives in good condition and is easy to use. All new products released from now will follow this strategy and we aim to extend this to all existing products by 2022.
Offsetting Our Impact
Even with the commitment to reduced packaging, the fact is, we are using up resources, so cutting down on waste is only part of the solution. Going further, we are proud to partner with ‘Eden Reforestation Projects‘ an amazing organization that is not only combating deforestation but creating livelihoods for millions of people living in extreme poverty by empowering them to restore and protect forests on a massive scale.
We pledge to donate trees for every product sold, offsetting our material usage and helping a great cause in the process. As with the plan for reduced packaging, this will be rollout out with all new products and to legacy products when their packaging gets updated. You can identify which products are included in the donations as they will feature the ‘Eden’ logo on the packaging.
Introducing TX13 Thermal Paste
Whilst considering how best to reduce waste on our existing products, we realised one key accessory we include with many of our products was a major contributor to plastic waste ….. The tubes of thermal paste!
We knew this had to be improved but rather than just do away with the plastic dispenser tubes or limit this to something we bundle exclusively with our products, we wanted to improve all aspects of thermal paste application and make a great product on its own right.
Performance – It had to be great, at least on par with comparable products, so we chose a formulation that has a thermal conductivity rating of 13.4W/m-k and as it’s a traditional non-reactive compound, it can be used on any surface without the worry of corrosion or electrical conductivity.
Packaging – Goes without saying that the packaging had to reduce environmental impact, so the plastic application tube has been replaced by coated foil sachets and we won’t include any plastic spreader, not that you should need one for most application methods. The retail pack is made from recycled paper with single colour printing and will be the first product to contribute to ‘Eden’ with a tree being planted for every pack sold, more than making up for the packaging material used.
Quantity – For years the recommended amount of thermal paste to apply has been defined as ‘a pea-size blob’, but how much is that? Turns out it’s about 0.25g, so we decided to take the guesswork out of that. Each sachet will contain that tried and tested amount of thermal paste for the perfect application. Using sachets also means that each application is guaranteed to be fresh and you know exactly how many applications you have left.
For more information on TX13 thermal paste, please check the product page.
Online Parts Shop
Our team have actually been servicing customers with spare parts and accessories for many years through the regular support channel. Beyond the obvious commitment of giving product support, this allows us to extend the life of our products by offering generational upgrades where possible and replacement parts should a customer lose or damage something.
This is an often overlooked aspect of environmental protection as every product that continues to be usable is one less item discarded to our ever-expanding landfills. Whilst some companies employ tactics such as built-in obsolescence and even campaign against the right to repair, we are committed to making every part available to our customers to help service and extend the life of their products.
The shop can be accessed at shop.streacom.com and will initially be selling spare parts and accessories that might not be readily available from all local retailers and that have been requested from us in the past. If there is something you need but can’t find, please reach out and let us know.
DA2 V1 > V2
Speaking of parts and making sure existing products are well supported, the DA2 V1 to V2 upgrade kit has also been released and is also now available to purchase from the online shop. The kit contains the side panels, back panel and angled PSU pass-through cable, which are the primary changes that were made.
The kits are available in black or silver
More to Follow Soon 😉
This news release might be light on exciting product announcements (although we do think the TX13 thermal paste is great) but sometimes it’s the small things we do between the major product releases that have the biggest impact. For those that are still left feeling underwhelmed …… we have some big product announcements coming soon, so stay tuned 🙂