With the onset of speedy deterioration of the environment, parents all around the world are getting anxious about their output into the environment- especially individuals with a child or two to raise. As a new parent, toys quickly become a very important part of your life, just as much as it becomes so for your child- if not more. Whether it comes to quelling your concerns about the safety hazards of specific toys to the learning potential embedded in each product in the STEM games aisle, it has become very important for parents to begin acting on concerns of sustainability and adopt eco-friendly toys that their children play with.
According to studies conducted by The World Counts, the toy industry uses 40 tons of plastic for every million dollars made in revenue. With high levels of discarding of toys into landfills and oceans, the non recyclable plastic present in these toys act as catalysts for environmental damage. Beyond the impact that plastic toys have on the environment, most soft plastic toys have more than 40 percent of phthalates that can cause reproductive health issues.
The solution for such an environmentally dangerous trend that arches over the toy market is quite simple. With the increase in environmental consciousness, the Indian market has begun reflecting the modern parent’s need for sustainable toy companies that will ethically produce toys that do not deplete in their ‘fun’ potential for their kids to enjoy. Small businesses and start-up companies have begun launching ethically made toys in India, and it is a great time for you and your child to explore all the new possibilities of eco-friendly toys.
Top Sustainable Indian Toy Brands
1. Smartivity
Smartivity is a STEM toy brand that will not only engage your child’s cognitions but also tickle their fancy with the amazing possibilities that STEM toys can facilitate. It excels in producing high-grade STEM toys for all ages, ranging from a Build-It-Yourself Tic-Tac box to a Robotic Mechanical Hand that challenges tweens to build.
Their innovative spirit, however, does not stop there. It is committed to the cause of joining hands with the masses to reduce carbon emissions and utilisation of environmental harmful materials. For example, Smartivity has propagated the use of wood – a durable material – to companies and encouraged parents to buy DIY Tic-tac boxes made from it. This no.1 STEM toy company has won upwards of 15 awards such as the People’s Choice Toy of the Year Award, the ASTRA Best Toy for Kids Award 2021, and more.
2. Ariro Wooden Toys
Ariro Wooden Toys is the perfect example of consumers changing the market for the better. Built from ground-up by a Chennai couple amidst the roaring pandemic, this toy company ensures the usage of Neem wood for toddlers to play safely with as these products have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. With a wide range of wooden toys from jungle gyms to puzzle games, Ariro Wooden Toys makes products that engage the child’s muscle growth as much as their cognitive development. Moreover, the company provides employment to local Indian artisans, ensuring the delivery of eco-friendly and ethically made toys. Their toys cater to ages 1-7, promoting holistic child development during the formative years.
3. EduSpark
EduSpark is yet another addition to one of the most sustainable toy companies in India. It introduced eco-friendly toy alternatives to the market, offering sustainable options for children’s favorite items like dolls and mock kitchen sets found in malls.From wooden kitchen sets that have elaborate water functions to role-play games with tools such as doctor kits, EduSpark continues to roll out a large variety of eco toys for kids ranging from ages 3 to 8. These ecofriendly toys for toddlers act as catalysts for your child’s imagination, whether they fantasise about being a helpful doctor or a brave firefighter who can also whip out a nice salad every now and then.
4. Mama, Naturally
Mama, Naturally is a female-owned start-up that ensures to treasure the relationship between mother and child through their wide range of products. While this company creates all sorts of products such as storage baskets, baby clothes, diapers, and more, it ensures sustainability and ecofriendliness of each of their products- including their toy line.
Mama, Naturally boasts of eco-friendly toy versions of traditional toys such as stackers and rattles. Made from wood or built with crochet work, these toys do not slack in entertaining your baby or your toddler. Each product is an explosion of colour without being detrimental to your child or the environment’s health. With a strong mission to rebuild Indian mother-child relationships through its products, the company continues to thrive without contributing to wasteful production.
5. ToyRoom
ToyRoom is a minimalist brand that enlarges the value of simplistic yet innovative, ethically made toy designs. By creating beautifully carved wooden toys, EduSpark surprises the market with non-toxic, eco-friendly options for toddlers. These unique designs are handcrafted by economically marginalized artisans, ensuring both quality and sustainability. Amongst others, some of their most innovative products include the ‘Minimalistic Sustainable Wooden DIY Christmas Tree’ that can be paired up with Christmas ornaments made from seed paper. Gardening sets, tea sets, and even wooden building bricks continue to boost your child’s imagination without hanging heavy on your conscience for the environment.
6. Shumee
If you have a young toddler at home, Shumee’s range of environmentally friendly toys will pleasantly surprise your child. From card games that stimulate different cognitive skills to wooden toy-vehicles, your toddler will never feel bored at home. Shumee covers your toddler’s activity needs while ensuring the production is geared towards a sustainable and ethical business model. Shumee is dedicated to producing eco-toys, aiming to inspire parents and their kids to adopt sustainable practices. They believe that starting with the products like toys, can shape the next generation’s commitment to eco-friendly living.
7. Bloon Toys
Bloon Toys describes itself as the product of the successful intersection of design and education. Made to boost your child’s creativity, imagination, and physical development, Bloom Toys offers a range of wooden toy accessories such as wooden climbing frames to decorable doll houses. They ensure that their products are ‘built to last’ and not items that need to be discarded after a short period of use. With sustainable materials that are all-natural and certified to be ecofriendly, you can rest easy knowing that your child is interacting with safe materials that will also enhance their imagination and bodily development.
8. Alt Retail
Alt Retail is a sustainable toy brand for toddlers who are keen on playing. For example, they carve and paint their ‘Bamboo Set for Baby’ to imitate reality. Owing to its name, the set is made of Bamboo wood that would not take away from your child’s imagination. They also carry wooden toys such as floor puzzles, open ended toys, and active toys. With their mission to ensure sustainable production and neat toys that keep your toddler engaged for a long time, Alt Retail brags about a successful range that meets every modern parent’s requirements for a sustainable product.
With the advent of toy companies that value a sustainable model of business and ethical production of products, many other major brands are following their footsteps. However, the gradual percentage drop in usage of plastic and carbon emissions during their operations, the aforementioned companies excel at remaining zero waste companies. When you shop from these brands, you are supporting businesses that have high ethical standards that will not only support the betterment of the environment, but also the growth of ethical business processes over profit-prioritising toy companies. But parents should also understand that buying from sustainable brands is just a small step. Parents can learn from these green parenting tips about how to inculcate sustainable practices in their kids.
