I’ve been making eco-friendly toys for 8 years and created World Sustainable Toy Day to encourage a more sustainable toy industry. I’ve been interviewed about toys and sustainability on Making it in the Toy Industry and The Sustainable Toy Podcast and talked about toys and sustainability at the International Toy Library Conference.
So it’s safe to say I know what makes an eco-friendly toy. In this blog I’m breaking down what are eco-friendly toys, how we make them and what to look for when you’re buying eco-friendly toys.
What are eco-friendly toys?
When you think of eco-friendly toys you might instantly think of wooden toys, or those without plastic packaging. But there is a lot more than materials and packaging to consider when it comes to eco-friendly toys. Here are eight things to consider when choosing eco-friendly toys
How long will it last?
Until 20 years ago, toys were made to last. They were constructed well so that they could be passed down through families. My daughter had toys that were passed down from me and my brother, and also even some from my parents. Nowadays most toy companies use a take, make, waste linear business model that relies on high turnover of cheap, disposable toys.
Choose toys that are made to be reusable, and designed to last a lifetime. If you can pass the toy on to others to play with, it’s an eco-friendly toy.
How long will it be played with?
Kids get bored of 25% of their toys after only one week! It doesn’t matter if a toy is made from wood, plastic or fabric, if it’s only interesting for 7 days it’s not an eco friendly toy. Toys have become like fast fashion - designed to be cheap and disposable. But if kids are getting bored of them so quickly these ‘fast toys’ aren’t even fun. Choose toys that can be played with over and over, ones that have more than one use, or toys that promote open-ended play, so children can use their imaginations to use the toy however they like.
Are they in hibernation?
Do you have favourite toys stored away in your house because you love them too much to give away, or you feel bad about throwing them out. It’s hard for us eco-folk to remember that hoarding is just delaying the toys trip to landfill! Why not see what you’re hoarding and decide if there are any toys that you can give away to friends and family? There’s no harm in keeping your favourites though, if they’re good quality they can be passed down to your children or grandchildren. Or maybe get them out of the cupboard so you can enjoy them now!
What is it made from?
Over 90% of toys are made from plastic, and most of it is virgin plastic. So much plastic is used in the toy industry that it’s the most plastic intensive industry in the world! Most toys can’t be recycled because they are made of lots of different components tightly fixed together (for toy safety standards).
Look for toys made of sustainably harvested wood, bio plastics or organic fabrics, and games and puzzles made with sustainably sourced cardboard.
How is it packaged?
Do you remember those molded plastic packets that you couldn’t get into for love nor money? Hopefully that’s packaging from the past, and today’s kids don’t have to wrestle with the packet to get to their toy. Look for cardboard packaging with minimal (or no) plastic windows. Even better are toys with no packaging at all, or packaging that is part of the toy - maybe it folds out to create the game board, or part of the scenery.
When it comes to jigsaws, does it come in a huge box covered in shrink wrap? Those huge boxes use more resources to make and you’re paying to ship air! There are more and more puzzles these days where the box fits the puzzle directly.
Where is it made?
I hate to bring this up, but was your child’s toy made by children? Toy imports are a ‘risky good’ in New Zealand, with 71% of toys, by spend, associated with child or forced labour. Toys made in countries with low or non-existing labour and environmental laws risk being bad for the environment and the people making them. Toys that are made on the other side of the world have long ‘toy-miles’, so choose locally if you can to minimise the shipping distance.
Buy NZ made products - there aren’t many toys and games made in NZ but Sustained Fun makes Nature Fun Card Games in New Zealand - made in Napier! Otherwise look for sustainable and ethical certifications for the toy companies and factories. Certifications to look for include B Corp and ICTI Ethical Toy Programme.
Who produced it?
Was the toy made by a billion dollar multi-national company with a murky supply chain and a dodgy attitude to paying tax? Or was it made by an independent company with shorter supply chains who gets chased by the IRD if they don’t pay up? I’m not saying that all multi-national companies are bad, but a quick check on their website will show you whether they have an eco and ethical conscience.
What is it teaching kids?
Is it a toy car or a toy bus? Is it a doll house with solar panels on the roof? Does they toy inspire a love for nature, or awe for the environment? Does it get kids to play outside and off screens?
Think about whether the toy you’re buying is showing support for the current capitalist system of fossil fuels and over consumption, or if it’s showing kids a different way to live - one in harmony with nature. I mean, if you can’t have utopia in the imaginary world of play, where can you have it?
What is the New Zealand toy brand that makes eco-friendly toys?
It’s Sustained Fun! And we tick all the boxes for eco-friendly toys.
We’re an independent New Zealand toy company and we design all the toys ourselves. They are original designs and made using our brains, not AI! We usually come up with a concept together and then I do the first draft - usually a drawing that we like to call ‘this but not this.’ Anthea then does the drawings and I do the words, and we employ other Kiwi artists and graphic designers to zshuush up the final product.
We make products in New Zealand if we can, the Nature Fun Card Games are made in Napier, and we choose factories overseas with sustainable and ethical certifications. As a small business, we don’t always have the supply chain visibility that we’d like, but we keep our supply chain as short and transparent as possible. We’re B Corp certified and support quite a few organisations working on sustainability in New Zealand.
We’ve even won awards so you know that Sustained Fun products are officially the best eco friendly toys.
How to make an eco-friendly toy
When we are making eco-friendly toys we consider all those factors above. Here are the toys that Sustained Fun makes and what makes them eco-friendly:
EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons
The famous New Zealand toy for the best outdoor fun! EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons can used over and over again. Just dunk them in a bucket, play for hours then hang them on the line to dry. There’s no rubbish to pick up, just fun that never stops.
They last for years and you can play with them for hours.
EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons saves millions of pieces of water balloon rubbish littering your lawn, or the park and getting washed out to sea.
The packaging is perfectly designed for the size of the product, is made without a plastic window, and is recyclable cardboard.
You can find out more about what EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons are made of here.
Nature Fun Card Games
Made in NZ from PEFC certified card Kiwi Garden, At the Beach and Nature in Surprising Places are 100% recyclable. They encourage kids to get off screens and outside discovering nature. The best way to grow adults who care about the environment is to help kids develop a love of nature, and the best way to do that is to get them outside. These games are all about the utopia. And with over 50 activities per pack they provide long-lasting fun, and can be played in different ways.
Whale Poo and CO2
How many jigsaw puzzles do you know that feature deep sea creatures like Zombie Worms and Hagfish? This might be the only one! The image tells the story of how whales and plankton interact to absorb carbon, produce oxygen and keep us all alive! And it has poo. Designed in NZ, using a local artist and made in China from FSC-certified cardboard in a factory with strong sustainability credentials, Whale Poo and CO2 shows families and kids how important the natural world is. And the box is the exact size to fit the puzzle. When we first started selling this puzzle we were told we had to make the box bigger or it wouldn’t sell. We said no. We’re not shipping air and wasting resources due to some outdated toy industry design flaw. Now there are lots more sensibly-sized puzzle boxes on the shelves.
What’s that Splat?
Made from FSC-certified materials in China in a a factory with strong sustainability credentials, What’s that Splat? is an activity book that encourages kids to get out and look at nature and draw what they see. It encourages a love of the environment and good observation and creativity skills.
Splat, Play, Discover!
Also made from FSC-certified materials in the same factory, Splat, Play, Discover! is a book of science experiments for ages 3-7 years. All the experiments use EcoSplat Reusable Water Balloons giving that product a second use and extending its play life.
Eco toys NZ online
Another point to consider is how the toy company operates. Working from home offices makes Sustained Fun extra eco-friendly. Shop online to support independent, local businesses.
Am I limited to only buying wooden toys if I want an eco-friendly household?
Definitely not! There is more to being eco-friendly than just being made from wood. Have fun buying some truly great and super fun toys that your kids will use for ages and pass on!
Until next time,
Helen