13 minute read
Sector Focus: The Sustainable Generation
ORGANIC KIDS
Far from being a passing trend, sustainability has proved to be an ever-growing movement, with the vast majority of companies in the preschool industry and beyond now on board to make changes to improve their eco-friendly credentials. But that development doesn’t come without cost and effort, which can create a barrier for some, so we chatted to some of the leaders in the area to find out how they are making changes for the better.
Inset: Lässig operates on six pillars of sustainability – material, production, products, employees, customers and commitment. Below: Consumers are able to trace the wood in Bigjigs’ FSC range to its source. Below: Kit & Kin’s nappies are made in a carbon neutral plant, while the wipes’ packaging is recyclable and made from 50% recycled material.
The preschool industry, by its very nature, is seen by many as the ideal place for sustainability to be fully embraced. If we create products and sell them in an earth-friendly manner, we begin the education of future consumers at the earliest possible stage, making it part of their understanding of the world from the get-go.
Christopher Money, co-founder of Kit & Kin, explains: “If the new generation can learn from a young age about how to live a sustainable lifestyle, then hopefully they will be more likely to continue this into their adult life. These small changes really do add up and make a difference, so I believe the nursery industry has a responsibility to promote sustainable choices as the first option for parents.”
Boori’s marketing manager, Rebecca Ebden-Taylor, furthers: “We have the ability to educate and influence families at such an important stage of their lives. New parents are seeking advice from industry leaders on how to protect their little ones, so why not help them to protect our planet too?”
Furthermore, the amount of waste a baby can potentially create is huge, so parents being able to access more eco-friendly products, makes a big difference.
Ceilidh Cook, co-founder of Eco Rascals, comments: “One of the most startling moments for me when I had my first baby was the sheer volume of nappies, wipes, nappy bags and washing we would get through in a year. I started to question how one little human could have that much impact on the environment and looked to leading nursery independents to learn how I could make swaps to reduce the impact my child had on our planet.”
Most of our industry has at least dipped their toe in the waters of sustainability. There are some whose businesses were founded on principles of sustainability, like Eco Rascals, and Frugi, as ceo, Sarah Clark explains: “Since Frugi was born in 2004 we have always believed passionately about caring for people and the planet. We want to be completely ethical, honest and transparent in everything we do.”
Frugi uses sustainable fabrics for all products, including 100% GOTS certified organic cotton for 85% of its offering,
with the rest crafted from a process of turning PET plastic bottles into polyester that can be spun into yarn to make a waterproof fabric. There are many examples of businesses with sustainability at their heart. Claudia Lässig, managing director, Lässig, comments: “We are proud of what we have already created. Our sustainability team is continuously working on different projects to expand sustainability in all areas. These include projects such as upcycling collaborations, our packaging strategy, our code of conduct, sustainable office design or a fair supply chain.” Stefan Lässig, joint md, continues: “Our current goal is to become climateneutral by the end of the year.” And from long-established to newly created companies, there are still businesses launching with sustainability woven into their foundation. Lianne Stevenson founded Green Cheeks, a reusable nappy brand, during lockdown. She says: “We’re all about reusing rather than throwing away. There are various materials that a reusable nappy can be made from, we have chosen to use one HELPING THE COMMUNITY of the most sustainable fabrics out there, Outside of its own sustainable credentials, which is hemp. Frugi has teamed up with global charity “We try and avoid plastics in the Eco-Schools to fund 150 schools in products where possible, we use no England that will help pupils, teachers microfibre. Plastic is essential in creating and the community earn a Green Flag the waterproof layer.” certification for their local school. There are some areas of the preschool
The goal is to empower young people business where it’s less straightforward to take environmental actions to get their whole school and community involved. Schools follow a seven-step programme to achieve the certification. The company also donates 1% of its annual proceeds to environmental to bring more eco-friendly practices into place, but it can still be done. Joolz marketing and brand director, Irene Muller, explains: “We use positive design to create durable and high-quality and children’s charities each year products. Our strollers last a lifetime through their Little Clothes Big Change and so does our warranty. For each of programme and has so far donated our strollers we have one sustainable £850,000 to various causes. fabric option. These fabrics are made of recycled plastic bottles. In some of our fabrics we use up to 120 plastic bottles. “For every stroller we sell, we plant a tree in the Joolz Birth Forest. Lastly, our Amsterdam HQ is located in a solar
Above: Last year, Frugi won two Queen’s Awards for Sustainability and International Trade recognising its commitment to sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. Right: Natural Baby Shower has seen a huge spike in shoppers adding its more eco and sustainable products to their basket.
Right: The bamboo in Eco Rascals’ products is only bought once the company has finalised its orders to ensure no materials are wasted.
panelled office, with greenhouses spread around it which helps purify the air and improve the lives of our employees.”
There are also those who have changed their business model to become a more sustainable brand. Bigjigs operations director, Sam Ireland says: “In recent years, we’ve made huge changes to reduce our impact. From powering our warehouse with solar panels right down to using zero polythene and 99% paperless invoicing. Over 80% of our product range uses packaging that’s made from 95% recycled cardboard and is printed with soy inks. Bigjigs also recently launched its first FSC Certified product range.”
Another toy company adding sustainable ranges is Dantoy. Ann Krogh Harding, sales manager, tells PPS: “Dantoy launched a new line of recycled toys last year. Green Bean toys are one of a kind, no two will look exactly alike due to the recycling process. The different shades of colour are created by randomly mixing the plastic waste available at the given time. Green Bean products are limited edition toys, as they are produced from our own excess waste materials we have in stock, which makes this line of toys even more unique. We are continuously looking for new bio-based materials.”
And at the other end of the chain, there are a number of retailers who embrace sustainability in their way of working. Natural Baby Shower co-founder, Victoria Hampson, set up the retailer on those very principles: “Being sustainable is at the core of the business and we make sure in every area of the business that we are acting as sustainably and ethically as possible.
“From reducing our use of paper with innovative technology to avoiding single use plastics, and making sure all our packaging is sustainable and recyclable. We also focus on green shipping methods to avoid part-shipping.
“We also heavily research all of our brands to ensure that they operate ethically, from the methods to production to the materials used and ensuring there is absolutely no exploitation in any factories.”
Many of these measures are costly and time consuming, which can cause a barrier for some wishing to become more sustainable. But Helena Mansell-Stopher, founder of
Products of Change, an online hub to aid sustainable transformation within the industry, says that doesn’t have to be the case. “The largest obstacle is really getting started! There are so many options available to enable your business to become more sustainable that don’t increase cost. Most companies that start this journey actually see this being cost saving as designing our waste (material) actually saves you money. “Once you have started the journey and ticked off the easier elements to achieve (reducing packaging and single use plastics, switching materials) then there is the larger issue of your scope 3 impact (your factory base) which is harder to influence but definitely not impossible. Factories are seeing an increase in demand for sustainable practices, so there is a huge amount of positive movement happening, you just have to ask the questions, why can’t we reduce this, what is the impact of that…?” SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS Products of Change is a membership platform built to help companies with their sustainability journey. It does this by providing educational content and research, live webinars which are available for catch-up, a podcast series and bi-weekly newsletters.
Helena explains: “We also build change from the ground up across the industry with peer to peer networking and collaboration across multiple categories and work-streams.” The effort required to get started is likely to pay off, as consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their footprint. Helena continues: “The 2021 report from Deloitte states that one in three consumers claimed to have stopped purchasing certain brands of products because they had ethical or sustainability related concerns about them, and that 61% of consumers have reduced their usage of single use plastics. Consumers are putting more responsibility on producers to produce in the right way, government is also driving legislation changes with the new packaging tax coming into enforcement in April 2022 and the new Extended Responsibility scheme in 2023.” Below left: Dantoy is the first manufacturer of plastic toys to be certified to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, thus complying with requirements for health, the environment and chemicals. Below: New business Green Cheeks plans to add to its range to include wet/dry storage bags, washable breast pads and more styles of nappies.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
ROOM TO GROW
Room to Grow, one of the UK’s leading specialists for sustainable and inspirational children’s bedrooms, has launched a nursery range catering for newborns to toddlers up to the age of three years old. With the collection comprising cot beds, furniture and accessories, the range has been meticulously planned to ensure it provides the quality and cuteness that Room to Grow is known for.
Tel: 0808 1963344 www.roomtogrow.co.uk
HABA
HABA introduces My Very First Games - Animal upon Animal Junior, a younger version of the popular HABA classic. It has three wobbly animal stacking games for one to four children, aged two years and up. My Very First Games series will stimulate children repeatedly by setting appropriate challenges for their age, fostering their early development, holding their interest for a long time and, above all, being a lot of fun.
Tel: 01205 260384 www.amaroni.com CHICCO
These light and soft animal teethers from Chicco are perfect for soothing little one’s gums during the teething period. Forming part of its new sustainably and responsibly sourced Eco+ range, the teethers are made of bioplastic from plant sources, making them lightweight and easy to grasp. Suitable from three to 18 months, the teethers are available in four different colourful animals, including Burt The Frog, Molly The Snail, Owly The Owl and Charlie The Dog.
Tel: 0208 9536627 www.chicco.co.uk
SNUZ
LE TOY VAN
Iconic sleep brand Snüz is excited to launch its range of next generation mattresses. Introducing the brand new SnüzSurface collection, offering the very latest technology to provide tailored support for each stage of a child’s development, from birth to 13yrs. The unique removable cover features a 3D breathable surface with a waterproof membrane, and is washable at 40°c. Ideal for any night time nappy leaks and also perfect during the potty-training years!
Tel: 01789 734022 www.snuz.co.uk
The ocean stacker from Le Toy Van consists of nine aquatic animals that can be balanced into towers, or used in imaginative play. The animals are made from sustainable FSC wood and decorated in safe water based, chip resistant paints. Complete with a cotton bag making the set perfectly portable and easy to store.
Tel: 0208 9792036 www.letoyvan.co.uk
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS
JANOD
Janod has teamed up with worldwide animal charity, WWF and as part of a wider promise to help the planet, it’s donating a percentage of every sale within the collection to WWF’s charitable activities. The collaboration includes over 30 sustainably made products from animal themed push alongs, to awe inspiring underwater themed 3D jigsaws. Aimed at all ages between one and seven years, little ones will find the education of animal conservation fun and timeless.
Tel: 0208 88782133 www.janod.com
LITTLECONCEPTS
PlanToys celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year and since launching it has been producing sustainable wooden toys. To celebrate it’s releasing several bestselling products in a new Orchard collection. Products in the new line include the Stacking Rocket, My First Camera and the number one selling Beehives.
Tel: 07870 132595 www.littleconcepts.co.uk
NIMBLE
Due to popular demand the ecofriendly fabric softener now comes with the same signature scent as the brand’s hero detergent, Laundry Lover. The magic plant-based, vegan formula, which will ensure babies blankets and clothes are kept super soft, is entirely free from harmful chemicals, optical brighteners and dyes and now has a lovely new scent.
Tel: 0203 9731460 www.nimblebabies.com KABODE
Every product in the Kabode collection is made from sustainably sourced, 100% cotton. The bedding collection includes sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers and embroidered quilts, with a mosquito net donated for every sale made, in an effort to help end child malaria around the world. Available from Kidcentral.
Tel: 01530 569470 www.kidcentral.co.uk
ERGOPOUCH
Ergopouch is the reliable and trusted innovator of natural, organic, premium sleepwear for ages newborn to six years. The collection is made with organic cotton for a healthy, safe sleep which is gentle on sensitive new skin. Products available include the Cocoon Swaddle Bag, the Sleep Suit Bag and the Sleep Onesie. Available from Kidcentral.
Tel: 01530 569470 www.kidcentral.co.uk
