There are two challenges when it comes to toys and sustainability: toxic materials in toys andthe inhumane working conditions in toy factories. In part, this has to do with the way this industry is structured and how toys are made, traded and bought.
Over the past ten years, toy retail revenue has exhibited strong growth. However, the percentage share of toys made in Germany has dropped continuously. In 1990, Germany had an approximately 50 per cent share of the production market, but this figure has now dropped to below 20 per cent. 80 per cent of toys are foreign made, mostly in low-wage countries. This is because, more often than not, toys need to be cheap.
Municipalities mainly buy toys for daycare centres and schools, for the most part from specialist suppliers whose product range, alongside toys, generally also includes painting and craft supplies, outdoor toys and equipment or furniture.
For general information on integrating sustainability into the procurement process, see here.
An online tool to assess the local human rights situation by "Helpdesk Business & Human Rights" is available here.
Municipal best practice examples of sustainable procurements of toys, see here (German only).
Further information on toys (in German):
Click on the individual stages in the information graphic on the left to learn more about the ecological and social challenges when procuring toys.
Toys are an extremely heterogeneous product group: Almost 700,000 different toys are sold in Germany. Toys can be made of plastic, metal, wood, cardboard, plush or fabric; some are operated electrically or have electronic components. Key product groups are: construction kits (18 %), games and jigsaws (15 %), toys for infants and pre-schoolers (14 %), dolls (10 %), cars (9 %) and outdoor toys (9 %), as well as plush animals, craft and painting utensils, action figures – and many more besides.
The conditions and challenges surrounding the extraction of raw materials for toys are similarly broad and tend to be shaped more by the materials concerned than by the specific branch of industry. To date, their role in the discussion about toy sustainability has only been a minor one.
Environmental challenges
Social challenges
Price is a key factor, at least for a large share of Germany’s toy retail market. Most toys today are produced in China: In Germany, these account for 45 per cent of imports. In Europe as a whole, the figure is even as high as 80 per cent.
For this reason, the discussion about poor working conditions continues to focus on the situation in China, whose toy industry is located in the south of the country close to Hong Kong and is firmly linked to the system of internal labour migration. So far, other Asian countries have played a much lesser role. Programmes targeting better working conditions also focus on China. However, the trend over the past ten years has started to veer away from China in favour of locations that are closer to the sales markets, especially Eastern Europe.
Key aspects affecting working conditions in this sector include short product life cycles and market seasonality. Some 60 per cent of toys in any given year are new developments and one in every two toys is marketed for a period of just two years. Furthermore, the market is highly seasonal, with a major focus on Christmas season. For this reason, factories recruit thousands of workers in the peak season (and let them go again afterwards), regularly (and sometimes forcibly) making them work overtime beyond the legal threshold. Any attempts to improve working conditions must therefore always aim to change the purchasing policies of the companies that buy these products.
Environmental challenges
Social challenges
One key challenge in the consumption phase is ensuring that children can play with a toy without any risk of physical injury or leakage of harmful substances. The Toy Safety Directive regulates the safety standards for toys at the European level.
And yet, in spite of this, chemicals that can cause cancer, have mutagenic effects or impair human reproductive capacity are still permitted in amounts of up to 1,000 milligrams per kilogramme. The thresholds are disputed, as the risk of permanent damage increases with the number of toxins children are exposed to. Moreover, children are much more sensitive to chemical substances than adults are. On top of this, there are a number of substances and many products used by children that are not covered by the Toy Safety Directive.
The European market demands that toy safety is validated with the CE mark. However, this is not a seal of approval but is affixed to the product by the manufacturers themselves. Gaps in the law, weak controls and the irrelevance of CE marking repeatedly allow children’s items and toys containing dangerous substances to find their way onto the market. At 29 per cent, toys were again the most frequently recalled product group in the European Rapid Alert System (RAPEX) in 2019.
Toys' short product life cycles and fashion dependency, not to mention their widespread overconsumption, create environmental challenges. When purchasing toys therefore, it is important to make sure they are durable and can be repaired and passed on to others after usage. With exchange platforms and flea markets, child daycare centres and schools can be role models and make meaningful contributions.
Environmental challenges
Social challenges
Above all else, disposing of toys can be an environmental challenge. Durability and ease of repair are key positive product features; the same applies to long-term, high play value. Toys that meet these criteria are easy to reuse.
There is virtually no information available on the extent to which it would make technical, economic and environmental sense to recycle the materials used in different types of toys. The more materials a toy contains, the more difficult recycling becomes. There are a few manufacturers that make toys from recycled plastics but only one toymaker worldwide currently has a recycling programme for its products.
Environmental challenges
Raw materials extracted in South America, Africa or Australia, components processed or assembled in Asia and products sold in Europe and Germany: This is what a toy industry supply chain might look like. Getting from raw materials extraction to the final product generally involves long transport distances. Fuel consumption and emissions make for environmental and climate impacts that are also harmful to human health.