11 Eco Friendly Toys & Brands Giving Your Kids Sustainable Fun
Worried about spoiling your child a little too much?
We can’t tell you how to parent but we can help you with your eco-guilt that comes with buying toys.
Especially considering they often contain harmful chemicals and can take 1,000+ years to degrade in landfills.
Like organic baby toys, eco friendly toys are designed to have a minimal impact, while still supporting maximum fun.
So if your child’s toy box is short on sustainable toys, here are a few brands to jumpstart playtime without the environmental cost:
Lovevery has the best eco friendly toys for stimulating the brain, all designed for stage-based play.
While Once-Kids and PlanToys focus on sustainable wooden toys like building blocks for play—and a better future!
For the ABCs on how we found these brands, head down to the end of the article.
*This post contains affiliate links
QUICK LINKS FOR ECO FRIENDLY TOY BRANDS
1. LOVEVERY
About Lovevery
Your child will love every eco friendly toy that comes from this brand.
And parents will, too.
Each of Lovevery’s eco friendly toddler toys is designed to support stage-based play and activate developing baby brains and their 100 billion nerve cells!
The expertly-designed, Montessori-inspired toys, include non toxic play mats and integrated play gyms, play kits (subscription service), block sets, and other fun essentials for ages 0-4.
Lovevery’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The toys are made with FSC-certified, sustainably harvested wood, medical-grade silicone, OEKO-TEX certified organic cotton, and in some cases, BPA-free or bio-based plastics.
They also exceed global safety standards and are free of lead, phthalates, and flame retardants.
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
The Certified B Corp’s designs come out of Boise, Idaho.
They’re then manufactured in Ningbo, China by a manufacturing partner that provides ethical, sustainable, and safe working conditions.
Green Business Practices:
All Lovevery items ship carbon neutral.
By 2023, the brand aims to strengthen their commitment to circularity by increasing the longevity of their products, or ensuring they can be repaired or recycled into something new.
Currently, their lost parts promise provides replacement parts for all playthings.
By 2025, 90% of their products and packaging materials will come from renewable, biobased, or recycled sources.
By 2030, their entire supply chain will be carbon neutral.
Available: Lovevery
2. TENDER LEAF TOYS
About Tender Leaf Toys
Started by craftsmen and designers, Tender Leaf Toys is a UK based company that creates beautiful wooden toys designed to support your child’s cognitive and physical skills.
Between play tables, extravagant dollhouses and dolls, games, and fun space/nature/circus/and culinary-themed toys, YOU’LL want to sit down to have a tea party (they’ve got a set for that, too).
Tender Leaf Toys’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The toys are made from reclaimed rubberwood (a byproduct of the latex industry) and FSC certified plywood.
Only toxic free paints and glue are used. All toys meet international safety standards (EN71, ASTM F963, and AS/NZS ISO).
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
Every step of the process, from manufacturing to shipping, is performed by Mentari International in Indonesia.
The TLT team spends two months every year with the family-run factory, ensuring that they operate with high standards of training and employee wellbeing.
Green Business Practices:
Tender Leaf Toys are well on their way to plastic-free packaging and currently use paper and recycled cardboard.
They’ve been awarded the ICTI Ethical Toy Program seal of approval for their sustainable and ethical supply chain.
Community & Charitable Giving:
For every reclaimed tree that’s used, the company plants another one.
Available: The Tot
3. PLANTOYS
About PlanToys
PlanToys got its start when seven university graduates decided to give back to their home country of Thailand.
For more than four decades, they’ve created a range of locally made sustainable toys that include their highly popular PlanToys dollhouse, PlanToys doctor kit, and PlanToys walker.
PlanToys’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Many of PlanToys’ products are made with sustainably harvested rubberwood sourced from Thai trees that can no longer produce latex.
It’s combined with PlanWood, a zero waste material made from grinding surplus rubberwood sawdust.
The toys are finished with E-Zero non-formaldehyde glue and non-toxic water-based dyes and exceed international safety standards (ASTM, EN71).
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
Materials are both responsibly sourced and produced in Trang, Thailand, keeping it nice and local.
Ensuring a fair, safe, and healthy work environment, the company is OHSAS 18002 and SA8000 certified.
Green Business Practices:
Their Children Museum is powered by solar energy, and their wood is strengthened in a chemical-free kiln-drying process.
Any waste wood is used in their biomass gasification power plant to produce electricity for their factory and nearby villages.
Their packaging is plastic-free and uses soy inks and recycled paper.
Recognized for excellent environmental management, the company is ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified.
Community & Charitable Giving:
A portion of all proceeds is donated to a Children’s Museum and reforestation projects in Thailand.
They volunteer in their local community and run Toy Library in Thailand, to reduce the cost for a family to buy toys.
The PlanToys PlayCycle project encourages and educates families on the benefits of passing on outgrown toys, which helps those in need and reduces waste.
Available: EarthHero | The Tot
4. ONCE-KIDS
About Once-Kids
Once-Kids will inspire your kids’ wonder and creativity through their range of heirloom-quality toys.
Their sustainable toys align with the brand’s mission (which is also an acronym of their name): Organic, Natural, Charitable, and Environmentally-friendly.
The Once-Kids range includes blocks, play sets, and action figures. And some of which give you the option of DIY decoration.
Once-Kids’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
The eco toys are made primarily with FSC-certified wood. In some cases, felt made from recycled water bottles is also incorporated.
All products are safe and third party tested to be CPSIA, ASTM, EN71, and CE compliant
Green Business Practices:
The packaging is also made from FSC certified wood, and provides an excellent opportunity for re-gifting, upcycling (zero waste gift wrapping, anyone?), or use as a toy box.
Community & Charitable Giving:
Through a partnership with Trash Free Seas Alliance and The Ocean Conservancy, every purchase supports ocean cleanups and conservation.
Available: EarthHero
5. EZPLAY
About EZPlay
Did you say jungle gyms?
EZPlay can provide your mini-me with the best climbing experience..
Suitable for all ages, they create adventure-ready playthings for kids of all ages, including options that serve as sustainable toys for babies.
In addition to jungle gyms, they’ve got kid-friendly climbing walls, slides, ball pits, and foldable climbing toys. Many are designed by Montessori specialists.
EZPlay’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Top-quality natural ash wood is used for most of the eco toys.
They’re treated with water-based paint and solvents.
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
The wood is sourced in Eastern Europe, which is also where they’re manufactured into playgrounds.
Green Business Practices:
The ash wood is selected because of how durable and sturdy it is. It’s coupled with quality fittings to provide long-lasting play structures.
Available: EZPlay
6. OUR GREEN HOUSE
About Our Green House
Our Green House is a family-first, woman-owned company offering an impressive range of eco-friendly gifts, including toys.
The range includes blocks, puzzles, journals, arts & crafts, games, cars, and playsets. Several of the eco friendly toys are made in the USA (which you can search for specifically).
Our Green House’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Sustainably harvested maple hardwood, sustainable alder, sustainable birch, recycled rubberwood, organic cotton, OEKO-TEX polyester, and food-grade materials are used.
Many toys are finish-free, or are treated with non-toxic finishes and paints. Most use non-formaldehyde E-zero glue, too.
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
Coming from several different brands means several different supply chains.
While most toys are made in the USA, those that aren’t come from countries with ethical manufacturing practices and fair trade standards.
Community & Charitable Giving:
With their Just Cause gift range, a portion of all sales are donated to causes supporting whales, bees, mothers, Australian wildlife, rainforests, and oceans—just to name a few.
Available: Our Green House
7. ETSY
Want to support a small business and find eco friendly toys for babies, toddlers, and kids?
Etsy isn’t just a great place for Black owned art and jewelry shops, it’s also perfect for filling a nursery or playroom with all things fun.
Legacy Learning blends fun with, well…learning. Their Montessori and Waldorf inspired sustainable baby toys are, handmade with wood and all-natural, non-toxic paint.
Fact + Fiction Toys offers an impressive collection of whimsical, heirloom-quality wooden toys, teethers, and vehicles.
A Childhood Store is based in the US and will satisfy your child’s budding creativity with eco-friendly, non-toxic soy and beeswax crayons, and other art supplies.
LisLis Toys is a Ukraine-based shop stocking rattles, blocks, books, and Montessori toys made from several types of eco-friendly wood, all of which are free of varnish and paint.
8. WISHBONE DESIGN STUDIO
About Wishbone Design Studio
With a desire to spread creativity, joy, and independence, Wishbone has reimagined the functionality and durability of children’s toys.
You’ll see this vision in their thoughtfully-made range of eco toys for little ones on-the-go: trikes, bikes, rockers, walkers, and wagons.
Wishbone Design Studio’s Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Wishbone’s wheeled toys are made with sustainably harvested birch wood or post-consumer recycled plastic. Sometimes post-consumer recycled carpet is used, too.
All toys comply with AU, NZ, EU, and US safety standards.
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
Wishbone toys are designed in New Zealand and ethically made in China.
Green Business Practices:
The toys are designed for longevity and low waste.
Some take it further to be designed for zero waste, and use zero additives to make their recycling easier.
Community & Charitable Giving:
With some products, portions of sales are donated to organizations promoting biodiversity and protecting endangered species.
Available: EarthHero
9. KINDERFEETS
About Kinderfeets
With toys designed to develop gross motor skills, coordination, and balance, toy-maker Kinderfeets supports your child’s imagination and beyond.
Think balance bikes, Waldorf-inspired balance boards, tricycles, and prams.
When it comes to sustainable toys, those with multiple functions are best, like Kinderfeets’ 2-in-1 Tiny Tots bikes that convert from bike to trike.
Kinderfeets’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Fast-growing bamboo, eco-friendly birch wood, or FSC-certified German beechwood are the materials of choice
Only non-formaldehyde glue and non-toxic, water-based paints and lacquers are used.
The toys adhere to safety standards in Europe, North America, and Australia (CE, ASTM, EN71, AS/NZS 8124).
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
The toys are made in a factory near Shanghai, China that was established by an Austrian company and has long-standing ethical practices.
Minimizing environmental impact and supporting employees has allowed the factory to obtain ISO 9000 and BSCI certifications.
Green Business Practices:
Packaging is kept to a minimum and made with recycled materials.
Kinderfeets also sells individual replacement parts for easy repairs.
Community & Charitable Giving:
A portion of the company’s annual profits is donated to Trees for the Future and their efforts to combat deforestation.
Available: Amazon
10. GREEN TOYS
About Green Toys
Upon first glance, Green Toys may not seem like they belong on a list of sustainable toy brands. Their toys look very much like run-of-the-mill plastic playthings—until you learn they’re 100% recycled.
They offer a little bit (or a lot) of everything for all ages, from eco friendly bath toys and play trucks to tea party sets and shape learning tools.
Each one is thoughtfully designed with not just circularity in mind, but also the benefits of unstructured play.
Green Toys’ Ethical and Sustainability Practices
Materials:
These eco friendly toys are made entirely of recycled milk jugs (one of the safest types of plastic available, BTW) with low impact dyes.
Each one is rigorously tested at every stage of production to ensure it is food safe and free of BPA and phthalates.
Green Toys is fully compliant with The CPSIA, ASTM F963, EN 71 and ISO 8124 toy safety standards.
Supply Chain & Labor Practices:
Everything is fully made in the US, from design to sourcing to final production.
This not only keeps their footprint small but also allows them to personally acquaint themselves with all their partners and the ethical labor practices they employ.
Green business practices:
So far, Green Toys’ products have removed 54 million milk jugs from landfills and they encourage parents to use their toys as a lesson on how something bound for the trash can be turned into something fun.
As a recipient of the Greener Packaging Award, their packaging consists of 100% recycled cardboard printed with soy inks. On the occasion when extra security is needed, they use recycled water bottle reinforcements.
Available: EarthHero
11. TOY LIBRARY SUBSCRIPTION
About Toy Libraries
Let’s face it, most toys don’t stand the test of time, whether it be through breakages or loss of interest.
That’s where toy libraries come in.
Toy libraries let you borrow toys in the same way that you would borrow books.
This allows you to choose age appropriate toys for your child that will promote physical and intellectual development, but can then be swapped out before boredom sets in.
On average, it costs around $10-20 per month and that includes the delivery of sanitized, sustainable kids toys. With some subscriptions, you can rent around $2,000 worth of toys annually.
The greenest way to play, these borrowed toys reduce waste and limit the amount of packaging required. The most environmentally friendly toys are those that are shared, after all.
While there are dedicated toy library services in many countries throughout the world, they’re also offered by local councils, so a Google search might be your best bet to find something in your area.
Available: ToyLibrary (US) | Whirli (UK) | Toy Libraries (AU)
WHY CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE TOYS
Why choose eco friendly toys?
Well, let’s start with the fact that the toy industry is the most plastic-intensive industry in the world, requiring 40 tons of plastic for every $1 million in revenue.
Where’s the fun in that?
Made from natural, renewable, or recycled materials, eco friendly toys are a better way to play.
Aside from the issues associated with the plastics used, toys always seem to end up in mouths.
And with their tiny bodies, kids are more sensitive to toxic ingredients like phthalates and Bisphenol A which mimic hormones and disrupt normal growth and development.
For the most part, sustainable toys (and sustainability for kids in general) also help to keep young ones away from other toxins, too. Materials, finishes, paints, and glues that are better for our environment, are also better for children, especially during their most important stages of development.
Whether you’re planning on raising a zero waste baby or are taking small steps toward a more conscious household, buying eco friendly toys is a step in that direction.
HOW WE FOUND THE BEST ECO FRIENDLY TOYS
So, how did we decide which brands to invite over for playtime?
Let’s take a closer look at our considerations:
Materials:
As with clothes, organic cotton, bamboo, and recycled water bottles make for good eco-toy materials.
Many are made with sustainable rubberwood that’s reclaimed as a byproduct from the latex industry. Other types of wood that commonly make their way into building blocks include sustainably-harvested birch, alder, maple, ash, and beech.
To a lesser extent, bio-based plastics. Medical-grade silicone which is eco friendly might be used, too.
- Certifications: OEKO-TEX, Global Organic Textile Standard, Fair Trade, Forestry Stewardship Council
Supply chain & labor practices:
Our kids may know the importance of telling the truth, but unfortunately the same can’t be said for companies who lean towards greenwashing…
That’s why detailed and transparent supply chain practices are important. Even better when they’re backed up by third-party certifications.
Green business practices:
Still a relatively new part of the industry, makers of eco friendly children’s toys have yet to really go beyond sustainable materials.
However, it is promising to see carbon offset shipping, designs that ensure durability, practices that reduce waste, offerings of replacement parts, packaging materials free of plastic, and commitments to reduce their impact.
Community & charitable giving:
While many of these companies are still getting their footing, it’s great to see that some are giving back to a kinder, more sustainable world through donations, volunteering, or fundraising opportunities.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON SUSTAINABLE KIDS TOYS
We’d bet that these environmentally-friendly, ethical toys would make your kids smile..
And without the eco-guilt it’s (almost) too easy not to spoil them.
But remember, the most eco friendly toys are those already hidden under your kiddos’ bed.
When boredom creeps in, look for secondhand options before buying something new. Or, how about starting a toy swap with friends or family?
Next time a birthday rolls around, spread a little (eco friendly) joy by supporting a sustainable toy brand your kids will love.
