Attention, Parents! These Toy Companies Are Taking a Stand Against Plastic
Oct. 29 2020, Updated 11:24 a.m. ET
Since the 1950s, a key ingredient of children's toys, as well as children's toy packaging, has been plastic, despite its notoriously negative impact on the environment. However, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which is largely connected to the climate crisis, a number of toy companies have taken a stand against utilizing the unsustainable material in the name of climate change, and have ultimately decided to cut back on using it in the production of their products.
Keep reading for more on why toy companies are taking a step back from plastic, which companies within the toy industry have officially decided to get involved with this groundbreaking movement, and other notoriously sustainable toy companies, for any eco-conscious parents seeking out a green alternative for their children.
Here's why some major toy companies are getting involved in the anti-plastic movement:
After several years of heavily relying on plastics, according to CNN, a number of major toy companies are finally taking a stand against the harmful, non-recyclable material, and cutting back on using it altogether. With the coronavirus lockdowns, toy sales have apparently skyrocketed, and holiday toy sales are forecasted to be astronomical this year. Therefore, now is a better time than ever to find a greener alternative material.
That said, numerous major toy companies, such as Uno, Lego, Little Tikes, and Rock-a-Stack are now working to find alternative materials, which is a crucial step in addressing climate change. Uno, for example, has started selling a completely recyclable deck of cards, while Lego is planning to use recyclable paper for its packaging, as opposed to single-use plastics, and replace most of the plastic in Lego blocks.
Likewise, Little Tikes toys are now totally recyclable, and the brand also added a wooden line of infant toys, which are made of 100 percent natural materials, while Rock-a-Stack toys are going to start being made from sugarcane-based plastics which are biodegradable. They are also now packaging their toys in 100 percent recyclable packaging.
With that in mind, here are a few notoriously green toy companies:
While we're absolutely thrilled that Lego, Uno, and other toy companies are cutting back on plastics, there are also several eco-friendly toy companies that are well-respected in the sustainable toy industry. Dr Zigs, for example, produces concentrated bubble mixes that simply require water, for hours of fun (and little-to-no plastic waste!). Plan Toys also creates wooden toys from renewable and non-toxic materials to make blocks, kiddy tables, wooden pinball machines, and magnetic board games.
For hours of tactile fun, Eco-Dough produces an all-natural alternative to Play-Doh (and really, who doesn't love that?). Meanwhile, Apple Park makes a wide variety of stuffed animals and dolls from GOTS-certified organic cotton. They're stuffed with corn fiber fillers, and dyed with GOTS-certified low-impact fabric dye.
The toy industry's environmental impact over the last several decades has been abysmal, to say the least, but we're thrilled to see companies are starting to take a stand against using harmful plastic materials. Hopefully this is the start of an ongoing trend.
