Industry Roundtable

THE GREEN DREAM

PPS invites four senior executives from across the publishing, toy and apparel categories – Steve Cox, UK sales director, Keel Toys; Pamela Gill-Alabaster, global head of sustainability, Mattel; Julie Jones, md, Redan Publishing; and Lorraine Westbury, director of corporate social responsibility, TDP Textiles – to discuss the changes being made in their businesses, key milestones and goals and why, despite several other major challenges, it’s vital that sustainability remains on the agenda for the entire preschool sector.

Steve Cox Pamela Gill-Alabaster Julie Jones Lorraine Westbury

WHAT SUSTAINABLE STEPS HAS YOUR COMPANY BEEN TAKING OVER THE PAST YEAR/18 MONTHS?

Steve: “January 2020 saw the launch of Keeleco endangered wildlife soft toys which are 100% recycled, 100% huggable and manufactured from plastic waste. Straight from the launch, Keeleco has been a great success with consumers looking for a sustainable alternative. The range has been extended in 2021 to include British Wildlife and a Keeleco Baby range featuring toys, rattles and comfort blankets. Through the business we have looked to reduce energy consumption, as an example by changing office and warehouse lighting to LED and replacing cars to electric or hybrid alternatives.” Pamela: “At Mattel, we are committed to managing the environmental impact of our products. We recently launched Mattel PlayBack, a new toy takeback programme that enables families to extend the life of their Mattel toys once they are finished playing with them. It is designed to recover and reuse materials from old Mattel toys for future Mattel products, and supports our broader goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials across all products and packaging by 2030. We are also engaging in precompetitive collaborations with other members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and recently conducted circular design training, led by global design firm IDEO, for our design, development, global brand and supply chain teams. We are actively looking for ways to reduce packaging materials in toys and we have been working to reduce our environmental impact tied to carbon emissions, energy consumption and waste generation.” Julie: “With regards to packaging, over the last two years we have worked hard to reach a point where all of our single-use packaging is made from materials that can be recycled with regular household waste or at a recycling facility. Any cardboard packaging we use is responsibly sourced from sustainably managed forests. We have also taken steps to limit the presence of nonrecyclable components in our plastic covermounts. We recognise the need to steer away from non-recyclable plastic components and have reduced our usage by 70% over the last two years. We are on target to reduce this further. In 2022 we anticipate having only 10% non-recyclable materials in our covermount products. We have also recently invested in a new national campaign which is launching later this year, called Recycle to Read.” Lorraine: “We have continued to review all areas of the business where measurable improvement can be

made. The recycling of all samples is just one initiative where improvement can be quantified. Another is the installation of electric charging points and the replacement of company cars with hybrid alternatives. Our purchasing of sustainably sourced cotton continues to rise, and the development of sustainable alternatives continues. We have benefitted from our knowledge of supply chain, to consolidate our partners and achieve a shared focus on sustainable strategy. We have found that the effective communication of common goals can have a positive impact throughout our supply chain not only for the planet and the workers but also in terms of profit. The number of facilities in our supply chain that are engaged in a social and environmental programme continues to grow.”

HAS YOUR COMPANY SET ANY KEY MILESTONES FOR SUSTAINABLE GOALS?

Julie: “To constantly research and adapt our practices and materials to be more environmentally-friendly; to reduce and eventually eradicate single-use, nonrecyclable plastic packaging; to drastically reduce non-recyclable materials in covermounts; to have clear recycling labelling; and to comply with licensor and retailer strategies.”

HOW MUCH MORE IMPORTANT IS SUSTAINABILITY TO PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS NOW WHEN IT COMES TO THEM CHOOSING PRODUCTS FOR THEIR PRESCHOOLERS?

Pamela: “Our research shows that sustainability is a key consideration for parents and caregivers when they are choosing toys for their children. Most consumers agree that recycling is the bare minimum they can do for the environment and they want manufacturers to take responsibility for toys at the end of their life cycle. Mattel PlayBack is designed to do just that – the programme keeps toys out of landfills and gives parents a responsible alternative to dispose of the toys they are finished with.” Lorraine: “It is a shared responsibility to promote the purchase of sustainable product – this is especially important to parents and caregivers of preschoolers

Below: The Keeleco Baby range from Keel Toys features toys, rattles and comfort blankets. Above: Mattel PlayBack enables families to extend the life of their Mattel toys once they are finished playing with them

where expected product life is limited. Support should be facilitated in terms of ‘guilt-free purchases’, where a customer can have confidence that the manufacture of the product purchased has not impacted negatively on society or the environment - in fact, on the contrary, manufacturing has had a positive impact by supporting local communities, protecting workers, and ensuring further damage to the environment is limited and, in many cases, prevented.”

WHAT CHALLENGES DOES TRYING TO BRING MORE SUSTAINABLE ELEMENTS INTO YOUR BUSINESS PRESENT?

Steve: “Sourcing all the components has taken time, especially checking authenticity of recycled products.” Julie: “The research and development of more sustainable practices and products takes a long time and change cannot happen overnight. It is a continuous journey as we seek alternative materials and products that have less impact on the environment, which children will still want and that are affordable. Also, I think most consumers perceive all plastic to be bad and we somehow have to change that perception. For instance, a simple move away from plastic does not necessarily enhance sustainability or reduce carbon impact of a magazine covermount. Therefore, before making any decisions we have to monitor the whole life cycle impact of all products through careful research and analysis.” Lorraine: “Currently, and for good reasons, there are boycotts on using cotton from certain sources. These sources account for significant percentages of global supply and while this is hopefully a temporary situation, it is influencing supply and price of all types of cotton, sustainable or otherwise.”

WHAT FURTHER STEPS CAN COMPANIES OPERATING IN THE PRESCHOOL SPACE BE TAKING GOING FORWARD?

Lorraine: “Ensure that not only sustainable materials are used in manufacturing, but also place equal focus on ethical and social conditions for workers in the supply chain - both are key sustainable development goals.” Julie: “Being sustainable is not just about products and packaging. More sustainable measures can be taken

Above: Redan has reduced its usage of non-recyclable plastic components by 70% over the last two years.

right across the business and as we adapt back to office working we have recognised a number of measures we can take which will reduce our carbon footprint. Also, other companies and retailers could come on board with the Toy Take Back and Recycle to Read initiatives.” Steve: “Don’t wait for big changes, as every small step taken towards sustainability will make a difference.”

WHY - DESPITE SEVERAL OTHER MAJOR CHALLENGES - IS IT VITAL THAT SUSTAINABILITY REMAINS ON THE AGENDA FOR THE PRESCHOOL SECTOR?

Pamela: “At Mattel, our purpose is to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential, and we want that next generation to inherit a world that’s full of potential, too. Focusing on sustainability – from waste management to carbon emissions and energy generations – is critical.” Steve: “Quite simply, sustainability is the health and future of the planet.” Julie: “Sustainability issues are never going to go away. We all have a responsibility to protect the planet for future generations. Not only that, consumers have a big voice and we need to listen. Youngsters, in particular, are more aware than ever before as the topic of the environment and how we can all help to look after it is high up on the curriculum from the early years right through to teens. We also have to listen to retailers and licensors to ensure we align with their policies.” Lorraine: “Momentum must continue to drive positive change in the preschool sector. Conversations surrounding sustainability and the related issues have been on the rise throughout the pandemic among shoppers. I strongly believe there is a substantial increase in the number of discerning shoppers with a moral conscience who now question their purchases - the sensible approach is therefore to continue to drive initiatives to ensure successful and sustainable businesses post-pandemic.”

Inset: TDP Textiles’ sustainable business strategy is primarily focused on supply chain

PRODUCTS OF CHANGE

Products of Change is the international digital membership platform which was built to drive sustainable change within the brand and licensing industry. Since officially launching the sustainability hub on 1 January 2021, POC has seen all manner of licensors, licensees, retailers, agencies, trade suppliers and supporting bodies join up as members including those featured in this roundtable. If you’d like to find out more about POC, simply check out www.productsofchange.com

RETAIL CHANGE

Steve: “Sustainability was a major topic at the early fairs in 2020, but due to the pandemic it stalled a little. As retail is now reopening we are seeing sustainability high on the agenda for many retailers looking to introduce eco alternatives.” Pamela: “Many of our retail customers also have made commitments to operating more sustainably and have taken concrete actions to manage their operating impacts and provide consumers with more sustainable product choices.” Julie: “We have been working with a number of the major grocers for some time now to ensure that we adapt and tie-in with the sustainable policies they expect their suppliers to adhere to. This has mainly focused on single-use packaging and is starting to stretch to materials used for products themselves, too. We know that some of the majors have also been talking to WasteBuster about the Recycle to Read initiative.” Lorraine: “There is a steady increase in the presence of retailers choosing to actively participle in change, though generally the approach is not consistent and common goals are not effectively tackled.”