An In Depth Guide To Sustainable Toys
If you want to know which toys are eco-friendly, what the alternatives to plastic are, and where to buy sustainable toys, keep reading!
This page contains affiliate links to sustainable retailers
“The toy industry is the most plastic-intensive industry in the world”
Plastic toys are so yesterday.
Yep, you heard me - sustainable wooden toys are making a comeback.
You don’t want to buy your baby products that are bad for the planet, do you?
You might be avoiding hazardous chemicals, like BPA and phthalates, or maybe you’re looking for a small independent business to support.
Either way, you want to buy better.
This in-depth guide will provide all the information you need about buying sustainable toys, including non-toxic materials and which ethical brands you can find in the UK, US, and Australia.
But before you start toy shopping there is something you should know.
If you truly want to feel good about the toy you buy for your child, you need to be aware of greenwashing.
By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how brands are greenwashing wooden toys because I’m going to reveal some of the worst culprits.
COMING UP
Sustainable toy quick links
Why should you choose an ethical brand?
What is greenwashing?
Why you should avoid buying toys at Amazon
What to look for in a sustainable toy brand
What materials are non-toxic and eco-friendly?
Which toy brands are ethical?
Where you can shop for sustainable baby and toddler toys?
In order to help support the running costs of Sustainably Lazy, this post contains affiliate links to sustainable brands. This comes at no extra cost to you.
1. Sustainable toy quick links
Fairtrade toys on a budget - Lanka Kade (UK)
Most sustainable wooden toys for all ages - Plan Toys UK / Plan Toys USA**
Ethical open-ended toys - Grapat UK** / Grapat USA
A non-toxic toy shop in America - Our Green House
Ethical toy shop in Australia - Limetree
Eco-friendly toy shop in the UK - Kid Collective
Eco-friendly toy shop in the USA - Bella Luna Toys**
**Discount code - SUSTAINABLYLAZY
2. Why is it important to buy from an ethical company?
A lot of corporations put their profits before the welfare of their workers and the environment. They choose countries where there are no legal rights for workers and the minimum wage is so low that excessive overtime and child labour are common.
By choosing to support a sustainable toy company you are voting for the kind of world you want your child to grow up in.
(You can pin images on my website to your Pinterest boards by clicking on them)
3. What Is Greenwashing?
“Greenwashing is an attempt to make people believe that your company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is” - Cambridge dictionary
Greenwashing is a marketing scam.
An example is when a company advertises an eco-friendly product without acknowledging the environmental damage and pollution they are causing in the rest of their business.
Greenwashing is ethically and morally wrong because the whole purpose is to manipulate customers into buying their products under false pretences.
It is the reason I recommend choosing independent businesses over supermarket “eco” products - no supermarket cares about human rights and they all create a huge amount of waste and pollution.
Let’s use Asda as an example.
Are Asda’s wooden toys eco-friendly?
No, there is no evidence that Asda’s wooden toys are sustainable. No sustainability information is available to prove its toy makers have safe working conditions, and we do not know where its wood is sourced.
FSC certification is not enough because it has failed to prevent deforestation and illegal timber.
Asda has a long history of exploitation in its supply chain for agriculture and clothing.
In January 2023, the CMA launched a greenwashing investigation into George clothing due to concerns it was misleading customers through eco-friendly marketing.
And if the Rana Plaza collapse wasn’t eye-opening enough, during the pandemic, Asda (who remained open the entire time) cancelled its George clothing orders and refused to pay for the orders it had already received.
Thanks to high-street fashion, a million garment workers in Bangladesh and other developing countries lost their jobs and couldn’t afford to feed their families.
Many brands changed their minds after a negative reaction from the public, but Asda didn’t because Asda clearly doesn’t care about its suppliers.
One can only assume it doesn’t treat its toymakers any better.
Corporations are often criticised for unfair wealth distribution and Asda is no exception. Not only does it not pay living wages or protect its workers overseas, but it also doesn’t want to contribute to society by paying taxes. Even though Asda is a UK company, it is registered in Jersey - a well-known tax haven. Its owners are known for shameless tax avoidance.
So if you want to spend your money in a way that will benefit society, human rights and the planet, it’s best to choose an independent ethical toy manufacturer.
If you are on a budget, see the section on second-hand toys.
4. Why you shouldn’t buy toys from amazon
If you follow my blog, you’ll know I’m an advocate for the Amazon boycott. Here are five reasons why:
Amazon has avoided $75 billion in taxes. If corporations paid their taxes, we could fund healthcare, social care, education and mental health services.
Jeff Bezos is a Trillionaire, the richest man in the world, yet Amazon employees can’t afford to live off their wages. Working conditions are so bad that on prime day 2018, a global boycott took place to demand fairer pay.
The amount of lawsuits against Amazon is ridiculous, and once you look deeper, you won’t want to financially support them anymore. They’ve been sued for all kinds of things - discriminating against and firing pregnant women, not paying overtime, unsafe or hostile working conditions for Muslims and even falsely labelling plastic products as biodegradable.
Next day delivery for Prime members - but at what cost? That would be the planet. Amazon uses jets to transport parcels across the country and overseas to ensure people get their packages quickly. Last year, instead of trying to reduce its huge carbon footprint, Amazon leased two more jets.
In August 2019, it was discovered that 16-year-old children were making Alexas in China. They were doing overtime and being made to work overnight which is illegal in China. High demand for tech products results in the exploitation of people in complex supply chains.
If you want to buy an Amazon Echo product, choose secondhand. I bought mine from eBay a few years ago and it works perfectly.
As you can see, convenience comes at a cost. Unless we make some serious changes in society*, climate change is going to get worse. There couldn’t be a more important time to support small sustainable businesses than now, wouldn’t you agree?
*I just want to add that anyone who feels they need to use Amazon because they lack the privileges that you need to boycott, for example, if you’re on a low income and have no choice but to choose the cheapest option, it’s ok to do what you need to do. Capitalism is the problem, not you.
5. Why I don’t recommend Melissa and Doug toys
I hit a few red flags when I first researched Melissa and Doug (no sustainability policy or environmental targets and a previous incident with lead in their paint), but I gave them the benefit of the doubt and tried to contact them. Actually, I tried several times in 2019 but they didn’t reply to my emails.
I asked them a few questions but the main thing I wanted to know was where does your wood come from and who makes your toys?
“If you make millions in profits but haven’t got 5 minutes to reply to a customer about the working conditions in your factories, it’s a big red flag. What are you hiding?”
Melissa and Doug are a popular brand with annual revenue (sales) of approx $91.66 million USD.
In August 2021, Melissa and Doug announced a new sustainability initiative (about bloomin’ time) but as I write this (October), there is still no policy, no targets, no information on their carbon footprint, material sourcing or supply chain.
It’s pretty disappointing actually. They pat themselves on the back for being the number 1 preschool toy in America and say they’re going to start paying for a tree-planting carbon offset scheme.
So basically, not reducing their emissions, just paying for a carbon-neutral logo…
It’s a shame because some of Melissa and Doug have some great toys, but I’d strongly recommend buying them second hand on eBay or Facebook marketplace.
6. What to look for in a sustainable toy brand
It sucks that we live in a world where if your product was made overseas then you need the brand to tell you they were treated with dignity. In fact, it's so bad that I now assume the worst unless told otherwise. Here are some things to look out for when shopping for new wooden toys.
LOOK FOR:
✅ The Fairtrade logo
✅ Wood sourced from Europe (the FSC is greenwashing)
✅ Rubberwood
✅ Eco vegan paint
✅ Fairly paid toymakers
✅ No child labour policy
✅ Second hand
✅ Recycled materials
✅ Green certifications, like Ecocert
RED FLAG:
🚩Also sell plastic toys
🚩 FSC mix (70% is certified)
🚩 No information on materials
🚩 No knowledge of what paint or glue is used
🚩 No response to emails
🚩 CEOs with big bonuses + toymakers on poverty wages
🚩Plastic packaging
A brand has a responsibility to be transparent because all workers have a right to a wage that covers their cost of living.
7. Which materials are non-toxic and sustainable?
While environmental impact is important, you also want to know that the toys you buy for your baby or toddler are safe.
In 2018, a study by the EU found 20% of plastic toys failed safety checks for levels of restricted chemicals. Phthalates and BPA, which are additives used to soften plastic, were the worst culprits. These are banned or restricted in certain children’s products because they are hormone disruptors.
While this is very troubling information, you don’t need to worry because there are lots of safe alternatives.
DID YOU KNOW: It is estimated that 15 billion trees are cut down every year
Rubberwood
Rubberwood trees produce latex for 25 years. After that, they are cut down and burned so they can be replaced.
Plan Toys was the first brand to use rubberwood to make toys - this avoids deforestation and stops rubber trees from being wasted.
Hevea rubber
Normal rubber is a synthetic material that is prone to harbouring bacteria. Natural rubber, often called hevea, is 100% natural rubber from the sap of the hevea brasiliensis tree (a type of rubber tree). Hevea rubber is ideal for teethers, water play and bath toys (please note - toys that are painted will still need to dry out in between uses to avoid going mouldy). A popular toy brand that uses natural hevea rubber is the Sophie the Giraffe range.
Silicone
Silicone is a manmade polymer made from sand, oxygen and other elements such as carbon. It is more sustainable than plastic because it is incredibly durable; it is unlikely to break and it won’t degrade into harmful microplastics. It’s also flexible without leaching toxic chemicals so makes a great alternative to plastic. Just make sure you look for quality food or medical grade silicone and not a cheap plastic silicone, like TPE which is used by Nuby.
Silicone is not perfect, but it has a place. My son is sensory seeking and he can break some natural rubber toys with his teeth but silicone is much more durable.
Brands that make toys from silicone in the UK:
Recycled plastic
Recycled plastic is controversial. On one hand, it reuses existing materials and prevents the need for virgin plastic. The problem is, that some plastics contain toxic chemicals (like PVC which contains BPA and phthalates) and there is no way to remove these additives when recycling. In fact, it is harder to know what chemicals are left after they’ve been mixed together. This is where the “safe plastics” come in. There are 7 types of plastic and 3 of them are considered safer because they don’t leach chemicals unless they are exposed to heat.
Safer plastics - 2, 4, 5
Unsafe plastics - 1, 3, 6, 7
European wood
Toys using wood sourced from European Forests are a safe choice because the law states more trees must be harvested than cut down and they limit harvests annually. These brands tend to be FSC certified, however, not all FSC certified brands will be using European wood so it is not a reliable certification.
8. Choose second hand
There are so many toys that exist on the planet already so the most sustainable option is to buy preloved. Wooden toys are durable and good quality ones can last a lifetime.
You can buy preloved toys in charity shops and on the following websites:
UK:
US:
9. the best Sustainable toy brands
Grapat
Toys: loose parts, sorting, colour matching, nins (pegdolls), wooden calendars
Grapat is a family business in Germany that believe children should have the freedom to experiment and discover without limits during play. Their handmade wooden toys are beautiful and well-loved by fans of open-ended play.
Their wooden balls are my 1-year-old’s favourite and I look forward to introducing her to more loose parts when she is big enough (she’s still a bit mouthy!)
Grapat is great if you like to make your own Montessori toys or just do colour sorting activities.
Where to buy:
UK: Yes Bebe*
US: Bella Luna Toys*
AU: Lime Tree Kids
* Discount code - SUSTAINABLYLAZY
Plan Toys
Toys: baby toys, educational toys, pretend play, puzzles, vehicles, wooden bath toys
Plan Toys are one of my kid’s favourite toy brands so it’s handy that they tick every sustainability box.
Plan Toys ensures eco-friendly processes at every step of production and has made its whole supply chain public.
One of the things I worried about the most when my babies were small was hidden chemicals in toys. Well, Plan Toys use a chemical-free kiln-dried process, formaldehyde-free glue, and eco-friendly paint.
The fact they make all the information I want to know (about everything I buy) available for their customers to see is wonderful.
Where to buy:
UK: Kid Collective
US: EarthHero* / Our Green House / The Baby Cubby / Check Kidizen - preloved / Check Good to Go - preloved
*discount code - SUSTAINABLYLAZY
Lanka Kade (UK)
Toys: chunky puzzles, vehicles, figures, organic dolls
Lanka Kade is a family-run business based in the UK specialising in Fair Trade toys. Their toys are ethically made in Sri Lanka from rubberwood.
They are one of the more affordable brands in the UK but they are certified by BAFTS so you know their toymakers still receive fair wages for their skills.
Lanka Kade sells dolls with diverse skin tones and a huge range of educational puzzles. Their emergency vehicles are very popular in my house.
Where to buy (UK only):
Green Toys
Toys: stacking cups, vehicles, play dough, bath toys
If you’re looking for toys for the bath, garden or water play, you are probably trying to avoid wood. Green Toys creates quality, eco-friendly toys made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs.
They are made from the safest type of plastic (as in they don’t leach chemicals) and they do not contain bisphenols or phthalates.
I have quite a few of these toys as my son was big on vehicles for a long time and they are incredibly durable.
Where to buy:
UK: Ethical Superstore, YesBebe*
US: EarthHero*
*discount code - SUSTAINABLYLAZY
Tender Leaf Toys
Toys: animals, stables, food, preschool and pretend play
UK-based Tender Leaf Toys make toys from rubber trees at the end of their life. For every tree that is felled a new one is planted.
The entire manufacturing process takes place in one 30-year-old factory, Mentari, in Indonesia, where Tender Leaf Toys spend 6-8 weeks a year. Their family-run factory operates with high standards of training, well-being and respect and provides dependable employment for hundreds of local villagers.
Where to buy:
UK: Toby Tiger / Kidly
US: The Baby Cubby
Hellion Toys (UK)
Photos by Hellion Toys
Hellion Toys is a women-owned business designed and handmade in the UK. Hellion use locally sourced wood from the Forest of Bowland, 20 miles away from their workshop, to create children's toys with a minimal carbon footprint.
Their beautiful toys are made without plastic or solvents. They are educational, Montessori or Wardolf friendly.
Where to buy:
Grimm’s
Toys: wooden rainbows, vehicles, peg dolls, building blocks and shapes, baby toys, teethers
Grimm's beautiful, handcrafted Waldorf-inspired toys are not something you see every day. Made in Europe from sustainable wood and naturally stained with non-toxic rainbow colours, Grimm’s toys inspire imaginative play.
Grimm’s can be quite expensive as it’s all handmade with workers receiving living wages, so in my home, we buy one toy each year for the children to share. They are great for babies who like to explore different shapes or older children who enjoy building things and small-world play.
The friends in cups and the cars were my son’s favourite whereas my youngest liked the nesting bowls.
Where to buy:
UK: Yes Bebe* / Kid Collective
US: Bella and Luna*
AU: Lime Tree Kids
*discount code - SUSTAINABLYLAZY
Oli & Carol
Oli & Carol is the creation of two Spanish sisters (Olympia and Carolina) who wanted to work together to make eco-friendly products for children. Their toys are made from natural rubber from the Hevea tree so they are safe for tiny hands and ideal for teething.
Each toy is handmade and handpainted by fairly paid artisans. There are no holes in Oli & Carol’s toys which means they are safe for the bath and won’t get mouldy inside.
Where to buy:
UK: Kidly
Sustainable Shops that sell plastic-free toys
Where to buy wooden toys:
UK
US:
AU:
Tap to pin this on Pinterest:
I hope you found what you were looking for today. You can help spread the word by sharing with your friends on social media. You also support my content by buying me a coffee or by following along on Facebook and Instagram.
What’s your favourite sustainable toy?