Why you should buy sustainable toys!
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Von
Katrin F.
Sustainable toys: a look behind the scenes
For many parents and educators, the topic of sustainability now plays a major role in the selection of toys. But what exactly are sustainable toys and what advantages do they offer?
In this article, we get to the bottom of these important questions and provide you with comprehensive information about sustainable toys and their background.
What are sustainable toys and why are they important?
Anyone can call their toy sustainable, but is it really? This can be checked using a few key criteria. The main focus here is on durability and robustness, which are achieved through the high quality of the toy and a well thought-out selection of materials. Sustainable toys are not designed to be consumed and thrown away quickly, but to be played with for years. Instead of repeatedly throwing away broken toys and replacing them with new ones, with sustainable toys you are giving your child a gift that will accompany them throughout their childhood and beyond - a real plus for the environment!
Sustainability in toys can also be achieved by using recyclable materials. In the course of toy recycling, certain materials, such as plastic, are processed and are then ready for reuse. This gives recycled toys a second life in new products. Some toy manufacturers are also already using recycled materials. For example, they use recycled plastic to produce new, sustainable toys. Both recycling and the use of renewable raw materials make it possible to produce toys in a sustainable and resource-saving way.
The most robust, environmentally friendly toy is of little use if it quickly becomes uninteresting and dusty. Toys that are superficially exciting but provide little cognitive stimulation offer little play value. Sustainable toys should enable varied play scenarios and support your child's development. This makes it a favorite toy that will be used for a long time and is therefore sustainable.
What materials are used in the production of sustainable children's toys?
These materials are sometimes used in the production of sustainable children's toys:
- ⛓️Metal: very durable and robust, recyclable, but involves high energy consumption in production
- 🪵Wood: renewable raw material, highly durable, should come from sustainably managed forests
- 🧶Cork, wool, hemp, bamboo, etc.: biodegradable natural materials, preferably sourced from sustainable cultivation
- 🌿Bioplastics: made from renewable raw materials, partially biodegradable
- ♻️Recyclingmaterial: e.g. e.g. made from recycled paper, rubber or plastic, saves resources and reduces waste
In the past, the search for the ideal materials for sustainable toys led Smoby to process sugar cane, among other things. We are now concentrating on sustainable toys made from recycled materials. The recycled plastic impresses with its low weight, robustness and enormous durability. It is also washable, which makes it easier to clean the toys, and thanks to its UV stability it retains its color for a long time. In addition, it is not only suitable for indoor use, but also for making sustainable outdoor toys. After all, it is weather-resistant, so sun and rain cannot harm it.
Do something for your environment: Play with Smoby toys
By taking a thoughtful approach to buying toys, you can actively do something for the environment. Because sustainable toys reduce the ecological footprint. Why? It's simple: sustainable toys are made to be played with and passed on. The energy used to manufacture them is therefore "spread" over many decades - unlike less environmentally friendly alternatives, which quickly end up in the bin. This also saves costs.
Smoby outdoor toys are the best example of robust toys that are enjoyed by generation after generation. The durable playhouses, towers and slides outlast more than "just" a childhood. They are therefore designed for your child to pass on to younger siblings and then perhaps to relatives or friends with younger children. And who knows: maybe one day they will even put a smile on your grandchildren's faces. If, after many years, the day comes when the sustainable toys are actually irreparably worn out, it is often possible to recycle them. In this way, the end of the toy's life can also be made sustainable.
At Smoby, we are working enthusiastically to produce an ever-increasing proportion of our high-quality toys from recycled materials. And the results are already impressive! The two collections Smoby Green and Smoby Life focus on sustainability and include sustainable sand toys, motor skills toys and sustainable outdoor toys.
Our Smoby Life collection
The Smoby Life collection combines educationally valuable play content, well thought-out, appealing designs and sustainable production in original products for your child. All products in the collection are made from recycled plastic granulate, which enables us to produce in a particularly resource-saving and environmentally friendly way. Below we give you a brief insight into the sustainable recycled toy collection from Smoby:
Sustainable toys from the age of 2
Our sustainable toys for kids aged 2 and over allow even the youngest children to play in an environmentally friendly way. For example, the Smoby Life handcart with bucket set. Your child can cleverly transport the cheerfully designed bucket with watering can, sieve, rake and shovel from A to B in the trolley. Our Smoby Life Mickey bucket set promises just as much fun with sustainable sand toys. The recycled toy is emblazoned with a fun Mickey and Minnie motif. With the matching accessories, nothing stands in the way of fun in the sand.
Sustainable toys from the age of 3
The sustainable toy from Smoby for ages 3 and up invites your child to enjoy a variety of outdoor adventures. The safe, stable and resource-saving Smoby Life XL double wave slide encourages children to test their physical abilities and, thanks to the water connection, can be turned into a water slide in no time on hot days.
After the slide, the Smoby Life Evo Friends playhouse offers a shady place to relax, eat ice cream or store garden toys.
Smoby Green
Many of the Smoby toys for 2 and 3-year-olds are sustainable toys that kids aged 4, 5 or 6 can also enjoy. Our range also includes sustainable toys for toddlers from the age of 1. The Smoby Green collection provides little explorers with great sustainable products, such as the recyclable Little Smoby Green stand-up ring pyramid, which is made from 90% sugar cane.
Play your way to a better world: the educational value of sustainable toys
Toys should have a lasting effect - also in terms of your child's development! Smoby toys open up numerous play options for your child and are extremely versatile. This keeps them interesting for a long time and encourages your child to develop a wide range of skills.
Our children's vehicles, for example, invite you to take part in fast-paced races to train your child's balance, motor skills and coordination. When transporting objects, your child can practise concentrating and orienting themselves precisely in space, while all kinds of role-playing games - from a fire department operation to a police chase to an ordinary trip to the toy store - inspire their imagination. At the same time, your child can observe physics in action while playing with the speedy vehicles. What does acceleration feel like? What is braking distance and how does speed affect it? And why does the vehicle roll down the slope on its own? All these exciting questions can be approached in a thoroughly playful way.
In addition to motor skills, imagination, coordination and many other important skills, sustainable toys also promote your child's environmental awareness.
Playing with sustainable children's toys together gives you the opportunity to talk to your child about sustainability and why toys should be produced sustainably. In this way, you sensitize your child to the great importance of environmentally conscious action, in the age-appropriate context of play.
The great promotional effect of sustainable toys lies in their high quality and durability. This is why such toys are also popular in schools and nurseries, where they pass through many children's hands every day and have to be robust and safe - just like the toys from Smoby ! Whether for children from the age of 1 or older kids: Smoby toys optimally support the development process and are robust enough for wild play and many years of use.
Smoby guarantees you sustainable toys in top quality
Sustainability or top quality? At Smoby, you don't have to choose! All our toys undergo internal and external safety and quality tests before they go on sale. In this way, we can ensure that you receive an all-round safe product of the highest quality.
With this in mind, it goes without saying that we do not use plastics that are harmful to health and our toys bear the CE mark, which confirms their conformity with the applicable EU directives.
The majority of our products can also boast the title "Made in EU", as the majority of production takes place in the French Jura. This also makes our children's toys sustainable, as this results in short transportation routes, which our environment is happy about.
Buy once - a lifetime of fun with Smoby toys
Buying sustainable toys means investing in products that will last your child a long time. Once purchased, your child can play with their sustainable toys extensively without having to worry that they will wear out quickly or become damaged. Buying quality toys from sustainable production is therefore clearly preferable to buying cheaply manufactured "throwaway products".
What to do if something does break?
Of course, even toys that are sustainable are not indestructible. However, if they are damaged, it is often possible to repair them. If this is not the case, you should think about how you can possibly upcycle the damaged toy and use it for other purposes.
For example, if you discover a large crack in the Smoby shell sandpit, you could plant the shell or reuse it as a storage space for outdoor toys.
Less is sometimes more!
Finally, we would like to encourage you to buy toys under the motto "less is more". Quite a few children's rooms are crammed with heaps of toys. The large selection leads to many children being overwhelmed and not learning to concentrate on one thing at a time. This also inhibits creativity, because instead of thinking of new ways to play with an "old" toy, the child reaches for the next best product, which they then only play with for a short time.
In this context, "less is more" means offering your child a few, carefully selected, sustainable toys rather than overwhelming them with short-lived toys with low play value. This will give them the opportunity to really love individual toys, get excited about them and develop new and exciting ideas through intensive play.
Making a difference with Smoby toys: the path to a more environmentally friendly future
The path to a more environmentally friendly future leads right through the children's room! With sustainable toys, you can make a contribution to environmental protection and teach your child the value of environmentally conscious decisions. Fortunately, it's very easy to buy sustainable toys from Smoby. Our sustainable toys from the Smoby Life collection are made partly from recycled materials and prove that sustainability and top quality are not mutually exclusive.
Visit the Smoby Shop and get to know our environmentally friendly products for your child!
