Pixel boxes may be green, but Pixel Watch no-repair policy remains wasteful

Google has today announced its hardware packaging is now 100% plastic-free, achieving a long held sustainability goal.

However, the company has also confirmed that, for the third generation in a row, the Pixel Watch 3 will need to be replaced entirely if you so much as crack the display. Confirming the news to Android Authority, a Google spokesperson said there’d be no display repairs available for Pixel Watch users.

The company said users should (via The Verge) “contact the Google Pixel Watch Customer Support Team to check your replacement options.”

That seems like an awful waste, given the rest of the components within the watch might be just fine. While Google might recycle the other elements of the watch, do users really need to be sent a brand new watch every time they have a mishap?

Considering there have been durability complaints about the Pixel Watch display for the previous couple of years, and that the new generation model hasn’t been upgraded from Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5, there’s a decent possibility there will be plenty more replacements in the post for Pixel Watch 3 buyers.

Users will Google’s Preferred Care policy will get affordable replacement devices in these eventualities, but it still seems unnecessary, especially given Google is putting so much effort into ridding plastic from its packaging.

In a blog post today, the company triumphantly posted: “Back in October 2020, we pledged to make our hardware packaging plastic-free by 2025. At the time, our packaging was already 94% plastic-free, but those last few pieces of plastic were the trickiest parts to replace. From shrink wrap and plastic tape to labels and more, we researched, prototyped and developed fiber-based alternatives to replace those final plastic components.

“Today, our new packaging for all Pixel, Fitbit and Nest devices is 100% plastic free. Not only did we reach our goal early, but we also set a new design standard along the way: beautiful packaging that’s easy to recycle.”