GREEN SHOOTS

According to data from Kids Insights for Q2, 39% of preschoolers in the UK have environmental footprint awareness, while quarter on quarter, climate change related concerns among 3-5s in the UK have risen by 17%.

Meanwhile, year on year, the number of British parents with preschoolers who state the environment as a key concern of theirs has grown by 4%. Now, 15% of these parents share such concern, making the environment the seventh biggest issue to this group.

Interestingly, according to the Kids Insights’ data, almost half of parents with preschoolers (48%) say they are influenced by eco-friendly credentials when making purchases.

This shift in attitudes is something which companies in the preschool space are certainly taking into account.

“Consumers are definitely seeking to look for sustainable alternatives not only for the benefit of reducing waste, but with the cost-of-living crisis too,” Stephanie Revill, owner and founder of Modern Cloth Nappies, tells PPS. “I think that since the DEFRA report was released earlier this year, a lot more consumers are now more aware of the environmental impact of disposable nappies vs reusable and people are more keen to get their waste down and help to protect the environment.

“We have received an increased interest in our business and products and we are always continuing to develop and meet the needs of this changing market. It has also helped us develop with new manufacturers to ensure we manufacture our products as ethically and sustainably as possible.”

For Gareth Lloyd, commercial manager at Golden Bear Toys, people are making better choices in everything they purchase. “Not only do parents want the best for their children, but they also want to promote a positive message about sustainability and invest in products that will stand the test of time,” he comments. “With a bigger focus on sustainable products, parents can pass toys down from child to child without compromising on quality.

“We’ve always strived to consider the environmental impact of our product development and distribution – so having parents and consumers be more on board with products that prioritise this is an added bonus for us as a business. With the attitude consistently changing as more consumers switch on to a sustainable future, we have to ensure everything we do from a design, planning and development perspective is factoring in the importance of a recyclable, sustainable product.”

Learning Curve

Bambino Mio recently commissioned research which uncovered 92% of UK parents are worried about the impact of plastic waste on their child’s future. “Shockingly, almost half (48%) said they were more concerned about the impact of plastic waste than their child’s education or future career prospects,” says Guy Schanschieff, founder of Bambino Mio. “The biggest challenge with waste caused by single-use nappies is that change needs to come from the very top, at a government level. Our research found 86% of parents want the government to be doing more to tackle nappy waste, so we started a petition asking for policy makers to create a national strategy to reduce it.

“Put simply, we know the nappies are a necessity, but the waste they cause doesn’t have to be. Our findings indicate that there is a huge lack of education when it comes to reusables, which ultimately impacts parents’ choice of which nappies they use from the

Cost Challenges

“There’s a lot of work that goes into developing sustainable toys, from sourcing ethical materials to developing ecofriendly packaging,” explains Bigjigs’ Liz. “These redesign efforts can be costly, and at times we may face availability issues with the materials, but doing our bit to look after the planet is a big priority for us and we’ll always do our best to overcome these challenges, so we can move forward with our sustainable objectives.”

Golden Bear’s Gareth notes that one of the biggest hurdles has been the lack of availability of more sustainable materials at commercially viable costs, particularly on hard plastics. “A significant amount of work has and is being conducted in this area though, as was highlighted to us in the recent BioToy conference earlier this year, so we continue to probe and challenge ourselves to source more sustainable materials knowing that advancements being made should hopefully facilitate positive steps in the coming years,” he comments. Meanwhile, Little Concepts’ Philip says that parity is probably the company’s biggest issue: “Not all wooden toys are created equal and it can be difficult to communicate this succinctly,” he says.

SECTOR FOCUS: SUSTAINABILITY

beginning. In fact, 87% of parents said they would have chosen reusable nappies for their baby if they’d been midwife or hospital recommended.”

Education is also key in the toy space, continues Gareth. “In the past three years, we have seen an explosion of communication and collaboration between fellow toy companies and subject experts, which has allowed us to draw on one another’s creative thinking and expertise to problem solve the challenges and hurdles to become more sustainable,” he says. “As we all have a common goal which is at the top of all respectable companies’ agendas, we will hopefully see some great achievements in solving the more challenging sustainability problems in the coming years. We cannot wait for consumer demand to drive the changes needed to protect and restore our planet so continuing to push ourselves as well as being pushed by other stakeholders, particularly retailers, licensors and content creators will continue to drive the momentum forward.”

New Launches

When it comes to new product launches, there is a lot going on, too.

“All of our new products are entirely plastic free and made from FSC-certified wood. All of our products come packaged in fully recyclable packaging, using no plastic,” explains Bev Cochrane, national account manager at Orange Tree Toys. “Our recent launches for 2023 have been our Woodland Animal range, some additions to our Peter Rabbit, Paddington and Winnie the Pooh collections, and a very exciting launch for Disney 100.

“Due to the demand for lower priced products, we introduced a much wider range of pocket money toys and products under £10, which have proved to be extremely popular. Being able to keep the prices down and competitive, while remaining sustainable and using FSC- certified wood is a challenge.”

Philip Nelson, co-founder of Little Concepts, adds: products we distribute is integral to our business and PlanToys leads the way. Two of the most popular lines from them this year have been the Flexi Jellyfish which is very engaging, it is designed to fit in a child's palm and is great for encouraging dexterity and manipulation. The other has been the Sailing Boat Walrus which is made using a unique waterproof wood created from leftover sawdust.”

Philip continues: “End consumers are so much more aware of their personal responsibility towards environmentally positive choices; they look at the whole cycle of their order from selecting products online vs carbon dense catalogues, looking at how a product is packaged and shipped, the longevity of a toy and how it will ultimately breakdown.”

At Bigjigs Toys, the last 12 months has seen the company expand its Simply Scandi range to feature new toys made from 100% food-grade silicone and ethically harvested FSC certified wood. While the company has been crafting sustainable wooden toys for almost 40 years, Liz Ireland, founder and md, explains it has significantly ramped up its eco focus in recent years.

“We have cut down on plastic by boxing 95% revamping our entire collection to ensure sustainable materials are used for as many products as possible,” she says. “The

internal packaging of every Bigjigs

Toys item has also been reviewed, and considerable cardboard engineering has been undertaken to eradicate the use of plastic packaging inside our boxes.” When it comes to further launches, Liz says the company’s product specialists have spent the past few months designing some “stunning” educational toys made from sustainable silicone and/ or FSC certified wood. “You can expect quirky puzzles, balance stackers, counting games, ride-on toys and themed railway sets and accessories,” she says. “We are also working with our friends at Green Toys to launch a collection of 100% recycled toys made from plastic at risk of entering our oceans. Another of our partner brands, Tiger Tribe, is launching its new ECO range, featuring rattles, building blocks and stacking toys made from plant-based bioplastic.”

Modern Cloth Nappies has recently launched bedtime reusable nappies made from super-soft organic bamboo material, as well as a new changing bag range. Stephanie continues: “We have a very exciting new collection being released late summer/autumn time which will give a lovely refresh on our already loved range of products. We are also working on something very exciting for 2024.”

Golden Bear’s Gareth says that the company’s sustainability goals and objectives continue to be a “huge focus” for its AW23 and SS24 launches. The Curlimals range is expanding with five new skus, while its ranges for Bing, In the Night Garden and Hey Duggee are also growing. “We also have a brand-new product in our Smart Ball range for AW23, the Soccer Bot, that combines toys with tech, resulting in a durable, smart product. AW24 will also see the introduction of some exciting new multi-licence ranges,” he says.

Ultimately, Gareth says that there is a common goal at the top of all respectable companies’ agendas, and there will hopefully be some great achievements in solving the more challenging sustainability problems in the coming years.

“We cannot wait for consumer demand to drive the changes needed to protect and restore our planet so continuing to push ourselves as well as being pushed by other stakeholders, particularly retailers, licensors and content creators will continue to drive the momentum forward,” he concludes.