Eco-Friendly Toys

The organic movement mainly focused on food and some recycled products. There were some eco-friendly toys offered, but they were little known and not mass produced. After the recall of dozens of toys made in China due to safety concerns, however, more parents looked to going green with their children’s toys. Eco-toys are generally made from organic cotton, wood, recycled milk jugs and other plastics, felt, soybeans, kapok (tropical trees’ silky fibers), vegetable dyes, and other all natural materials. These materials aren’t harmful to the earth or to children. This is particularly important since babies and young children often put toys in their mouths.
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Many eco-friendly toys don’t have batteries, featuring solar power racers and robots. Sprig Toys feature good old fashioned toys that are kid powered. There are no batteries needed for kids to have fun, so that means less batteries in the landfills. Additionally, kids are more active - physically, creatively, and mentally - with these toys.

PlanToys have been an eco-friendly toy company since 1981. They started by making wooden toys with “replenishable rubber wood.” The wood doesn’t have any chemicals in it, and the colors are water based. They also use a non-formaldehyde glue. Some companies have a policy of replenishing the earth, such as Blue Orange. They plant two trees for every tree that’s cut down to make their games.

ImagiPlay offers environmentally educational toys called “Toys with Integrity.” They’re made from eco-friendly materials, featuring plantain grown rubberwood, which is a splinter free hardwood. Under the Nile sells organic toys and children’s clothing. They use cotton that is 100% handpicked and organic. Their dyes are vegetable based and have no metal, and their buttons and zippers are made of wood or shells. Purchasing Under the Nile products also helps fight poverty in rural Egypt by offering fair wages to the workers involved in the production of the toys and clothing.

Big name toy companies, such as Toys R Us and FAO Schwarz are also going green. Toys R Us is using packaging for its eco-friendly toys, made from at least 70% recycled paperboard stock. Additionally, some of their gift cards are made with recycled plastic or biodegradable products, such as corn. FAO Schwarz has a line of green toys made from recycled plastic milk jugs.

The eco-friendly toy category also includes toys that educate children about the importance of the earth and going green. Idbids offers educational toys that let children know they can help the earth “one iddy biddy step at a time.” Toys and packaging are made with organic, recycled, and other “green” materials. Idbids revolves around a kit that includes a nine inch plush toy, storybook, field guide, and cinch sack – all of which are organic or recycled materials. The plush toys are Scout (cloud), Lola (flower), or Waverly (water drop).

Eco-friendly toys are usually more expensive because the materials are harder to process and/or recycle than what it takes to make toys with synthetic materials. While they’re more expensive, however, the purchase of eco-friendly toys isn’t akin to buying organic food. A toy will last longer than organic food, which is gone in a meal or two. Paying an extra $10 or $20 for green toys is worth it to parents for organic, non-toxic, and gentle on the environment toys for their children.