It’s all in the name right? We’re called Sustained Fun because we make sustainable toys and games that are fun for longer. But our toys might not be what you think of when you think of eco-friendly: they’re not wooden, beige or boring!
We’ve been making eco-friendly products for over 10 years so we know what makes an eco-friendly toy! And it’s not just being made of wood, or having cardboard packaging. While the materials of the toy and box are undoubtedly important in what makes a sustainable and eco friendly toy or game, it’s also important to think about the whole supply chain and the purpose of the company that made it. We’re proud to be a B Corp, certifying the high ethical and environmental standards to which we operate. In this blog we look at six ways that Sustained Fun toys and games are eco-friendly.
1. Sustainable materials
The obvious first way that Sustained Fun toys and games are eco-friendly is the materials they’re made of. This includes both the packaging and the product. Have you noticed that lots of big companies are so proud of their cardboard packaging when the product inside is basically disposable plastic junk? It’s easy to think about packaging ending up in the rubbish because we throw it away as soon as we start playing with the toy or game, but it’s important to remember that everything we buy ultimately ends up in landfill. Even if a toy is passed on, donated to an op-shop or kept in a toy box for 50 years, eventually it will become rubbish!
We do our best to think about the materials in both the product and the packaging when we create new toys and games. Sometimes this is easy and for other toys, not so much, so in order of best to worst, here is the run down on materials used in Sustained Fun toys and games:
Nature Fun Card Games, What’s that Splat? and Splat, Play, Discover! This is an easy one because the cards, boxes and activity books are made of PEFC or FSC certified cardboard and paper. The whole product is recyclable.
Whale Poo and CO2 jigsaw puzzle Again, the puzzle and the box are printed on FSC certified cardboard. We especially requested that the puzzle wasn’t shrinked wrapped, and have secured the box with small stickers. When we created the puzzle, our intention was that these stickers would be made from plant-based compostable plastic, but the in the complicated process of getting a new product manufactured, I think we ended up with standard plastic stickers. In the next print run, we’ll swap to PLA, or paper-based stickers. A bigger win was that made the puzzle box the exact size needed to hold the pieces. This makes the box much smaller than other 1000 piece puzzles, but we didn’t want to waste materials on a huge box, which takes up lots of space in a shipping container or on a shop shelf. When we started selling the puzzle a couple of years ago, we were told by some shops that they couldn’t sell it because it was too small. But recently I went into Whitcoulls and discovered that there are now lots of 1000 piece puzzles in smaller boxes, so we definitely had a win for the puzzle sector in general there!
EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons This is a tricky one. The box is uncoated FSC certified cardboard, and the exact size for the product so we’re not wasting materials. But EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons are made from polyester. We experimented with natural materials but they go mouldy (which is not what you want from a water toy!). Polyester also holds lots of water and releases it quickly, is machine washable, doesn’t shrink and dries fast. A sustainable toy is not sustainable if it doesn’t work so we decided to choose polyester for maximum playing fun.
2. Operations
How a company operates is important. Here are some of the ways that Sustained Fun has sustainable and eco-friendly operations:
- We work from home offices, powered by 100% renewable energy.
- We get around in a EV and a PHEV.
- We source most of our office supplies second-hand from Creative Junk.
- We don’t upgrade our tech until we absolutely need to.
3. Supply chain
We design all our products ourselves, with the help of local photographers, graphic designers and artists. We try to keep our supply chain short to reduce shipping of materials and products, this isn’t always possible because NZ doesn’t have the manufacturing facilities to make all our products. Here is where our products are made:
Nature Fun Card Games We’re stoked that these can be made in NZ!
Whale Poo and CO2, What’s That Splat? and Splat, Play Discover! These are made in China in a factory with high environmental and social credentials. We tried to get them made in NZ, but the cost of manufacturing was prohibitive.
EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons Again a tricky one due to the specialised manufacturing of the product. These are made in China.
4. Reusable
This is where EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons really shine! Globally single-use water balloons make 3.2 billion pieces of rubbish every year. We all know the feeling of dread that comes with looking at the lawn after a water fight. So many tiny pieces of rubber to pick up. And if we don’t pick them up, they get eaten by the dog, or washed out to sea to be mistaken for food by sea birds. We’ve created EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons to be used again and again for years, with no rubbish to pick up. The more that a product is used, the more sustainable it is.
5. Teaches kids about nature
The best way to get adults to want to protect the environment is to teach children to love nature. And the way to teach children to love nature is to get them into it. It’s pretty simple really! We’ve designed some of our toys and games to teach kids about nature and help them build a connection with it. Hopefully this means that they’ll grow into adults who care about the environment!
Nature Fun Card Games Specifically designed to reconnect kids and families with nature, Kiwi Garden, At the Beach and Nature in Surprising Places encourage kids to look more closely at nature, spend time in nature and start loving being outside. These games show kids and families that ‘nature’ is not something that is far away in National Parks but you all around us - right where you’re living.
Whale Poo and CO2 A jigsaw puzzle that tells the story of the whale pump - how whales and plankton interact to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This puzzle includes heaps of deep sea creatures so kids can find out about the complex ocean ecosystem.
6. Long playing time
A toy can be made of the most sustainable materials, with the shortest supply chain but if it’s not played with it’s not eco-friendly! We’ve put a lot of thought into increasing the playing time of our toys and games and building more than one way of playing into them.
EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons: The ultimate long playing time! Water fights can go for hours. None of this 5 minutes of fun before all the water balloons are popped and rubbish on the lawn. And because even the world’s longest water fights wasn’t enough for us, we’ve made a science experiment book that uses EcoSplat, and you can also check out our blog on games to play with them in the winter.
Whale Poo and CO2: We’ve added in a search and find and story telling prompts to add more value to the puzzle, so it’s more fun for longer.
Those are 6 ways we make Sustained Fun toys more eco-friendly! It’s not just about the materials, we’ve put lots of thought into all aspects of our toys and games to make them as sustainable and fun as possible - it’s all in the name!