The next generation deeply cares about protecting our planet; toy companies are taking a note of this and trying to make their business more sustainable.
Countries like Germany have always taken the lead in caring for the environment. Even their toys reflect their concern for the toys – wooden toys, toys with solar panels, toys made out of recycled materials are quite common in Germany.
And this seems to be the trend in toys, in general.
Concern for the environment is something that people really care about nowadays.
Everybody is keen to do their bit for the environment, and even companies want to be seen as entities that engaged in sustainable business activities.
Kids today are more aware of the environmental issues and many of them want to do their bit to save the environment when they grow up.
So, the topic of sustainability is going to be more important for the toy industry with each passing day.
Efforts by Toy Companies
Toy companies are trying to reduce dependency on plastic and are trying to use more of recycled products.
In recent years, top toy manufacturers have been adopting measures to make their manufacturing process more eco-friendly and also trying to reduce their overall carbon footprint.
Top companies such as Lego, Hasbro, Mattel, are trying to be more environmentally conscious with their products, whereas several upcoming companies are producing environmentally-friendly toys right from the beginning.
Some of the steps taken by companies include reducing the amount of plastic used in the toys and its packaging, making the packaging part of the toy itself, using more recycled packing materials, etc.
Also Read: More Trends in the Toy Industry
Efforts by Parents
Its not just the manufacturers and retailers who are doing their bit, even parents are concerned about the environmental impact of toys.
There are some parents who are already using toy subscriptions and exchange platforms, where they can get toys on rent.
It’s not that these parents cannot afford to buy new toys; it’s just that they feel it is unnecessary to buy everything, especially when it comes to toys, as it has an impact on the environment.
Lego Parts Ending Up in the Environment
Leading toymaker Lego produces toys that require billions of parts every year, which means the manufacturer requires a lot of plastic.
And unfortunately, some of these do get improperly discarded and end up as environmental pollutants. Some researchers say Lego plastic bricks can last in the ocean for hundreds of years.
Well, in the first place, such plastic toys should never be discarded and should never end up in the environment, because every second more of such toys are being manufactured. Besides, there would always be a child somewhere who would be happy to play with these toys, building some imaginative structure.
The plastics needed for these toys require petroleum for their production, and petroleum is a non-renewable resource.
Lego understands that they need to look for alternate sources and has set a goal of making its products from sustainable sources by 2030.
The company already uses polyethylene (made from ethanol derived from sugar cane production) to make the mini trees and bushes that come in many Lego sets, but it is unsuitable to make the interlocking bricks. But even polyethylene is not a completely green alternative as it requires the application of fertilizer, pesticides, and energy.
McDonald’s to offer sustainable toys with Happy Meal by 2025
Fast-food company McDonald’s plans to offer sustainable toys (made using sustainable materials) with all Happy Meals sold around the globe by 2025. The plan is to reduce the use of conventional plastic inputs by almost 90% in their toys.
As per reports, McDonald’s sell over a billion toys each year, and their Happy Meal toys are a great marketing opportunity for movies and TV series. The company plans to make use of plant-derived or recycled material and 3-D cutouts instead of plastic.
German toy manufacturer Schleich selects KN to neutralise CO2 in its sea freight
German toy manufacturer Schleich known for its realistic animal figures will be neutralising its entire sea freight CO2 footprint with the help of Kuehne+Nagel’s Net Zero Carbon programme. By choosing particularly climate-friendly sea freight connections and compensating the remaining emissions with CO2 certificates, the sea freight of the German toy manufacturer is shipped in a climate-neutral way, says this report.
Thousands of Little Toy Eggs Washes Ashore on German Island
German island of Langeoog, perched just off the North Sea coast, saw the invasion of thousands of multicolored plastic eggs on its shores — much to the delight of local children because the eggs contained toys.
The local police tweeted the evidence.
Vor #Langeoog wurde ein Container mit #Plastikeiern angespühlt. Mehrere 100Tsd. der Spielzeuge liegen nun am #Strand. pic.twitter.com/RkcUY6VEBQ
— Polizei Aurich / WTM (@Polizei_AUR_WTM) January 4, 2017
Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
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