TOYS Global Coverstory – Sustainable and Good Toys
Even before Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future, the global social movement in which school pupils and students all over the world campaign for more climate protection, the topic of sustainability has been right at the top of the agenda of manufacturing companies. The call is for comprehensive, fast-acting and efficient climate protection measures to meet the United Nations Sustainable Goals. With the use of bioplastics for new construction sets under the Mega Bloks brand, Mattel is taking positive steps towards this and paths the way for sustainable toys.
With its initiative to champion a more child-friendly planet based on its choice of ecologically safe materials and reusable packaging, Mattel is joining the trend “Toys for Future” defined by the international TrendCommittee of the Toy Fair for 2020. The TrendCommittee explained its decision as follows: “The toys branch in particular is oriented to current topics, recreating the world on miniature scale. Products in this trend focus on climate protection and sustainability. On the one hand, they convey through play environmentally friendly behaviour and encourage environmental awareness. On the other hand, this trend also covers toys with an appropriate sustainability aspect in the form of eco-friendly materials or with products created by up- or recycling.”
Taking this course, Mattel under their brand Mega are one of the pioneers of a movement that translates sustainability from theory into practice so that children can actually “grasp” this topic. The exemplary eco-initiative of the Mega Bloks brands includes a new bioplastic segment with preschool construction sets under the names Polar Friends, Safari Friends and Forest Friends. All building blocks in the above-mentioned construction sets are made of bioplastic and compatible with Mega Bloks’ First Builders line, which was developed for preschool children aged one year and upwards.
After the first step, the second must follow, and in a forward-looking strategy Mega has created a packaging concept that is completely recyclable. Each of these articles is FSC-certified.
“We are proud of this step into the future, which we are now taking with our new bioplastic building toys. We have developed them as part of the Mega Bloks First Builders play system,” Bisma Ansari, Senior Vice-President von Mega Bloks, emphasizes. “We are developing building toys of high quality and maximizing the use of reusable packaging. The new sets are always compatible with the preceding and following sets – children can therefore play with them for years and pass them onto the next generation.”
“We have designed our play system such that it is possible to produce, reuse and recycle the different elements sustainably,” continues Ansari.
With a new bioplastics line and reusable packaging for its Mega Bloks, Mattel is committed to sustainability and climate protection
Retail bio-thinking
For specialist retail, the attributes ecofriendly and sustainable are important sales arguments. Young parents today look closely at what materials are used to make toys for their children. If the products meet the demands of this new generation of parents, the price aspect recedes into the background. If something has been made in a clearly environmentally friendly and conscious way, then it is allowed to cost more. In contrast, cheap products are falling behind, which was shown by last year’s Christmas sales in 2019. Many retailers reported that there was a big demand for toys that have somehow been made in a biologically-aware, sustainable and safe way and are also packaged accordingly.
Argos Sainsbury’s in Great Britain will be the first retailer to market the Mega Bloks ECO-Line in Europe. Argos has listed the new construction sets in its catalogue. Bisma Ansari is visibly impressed by the commitment of this retailing pioneer: “We are delighted at the support we have received from Argos and other retailers. Today, we look forward together to the market launch of our new product line made of bioplastics in 2020. This initiative points the way forward for our consumers, partners and teams – together, we are making every effort to build a child-friendly planet.”
It remains to hope that many retailers will follow suit and will seize the moment to “sustainably” tap into this social movement.
Especially environmentally friendly products can be very effectively displayed at the point of sale in clearly marked-out campaign spaces. Retailers who stand out here and position themselves with ecological products are perceived by consumers as particularly credible and committed. And rightly so. In times of E-commerce, it is now longer enough to follow the mainstream and replicate what everyone already has. Those retailers who step up with a clear pledge to climate and environment protection will certainly be rewarded with their customers’ trust.
With the new Mega Bloks bioplastics line, Mattel is opening up an excellent opportunity that retail needs to make the most of. So follow up words with deeds and you will see that customers will go for a successful future at your side!
About Mega Brands
A part of the Mattel family, Mega is the proud no. 2 construction toy brand in the world, specializing in creating diverse and quality toys for builders beginning in infancy all the way through to adulthood. We forge our own path as the only construction toy brand that caters to the whole family. Every Mega toy provides innovative play experiences and authentic details, all at an accessible value. At Mega, we believe that everyone’s a builder, so let’s build together! The Mega logo, Mega Bloks and Mega Construx are trademarks of Mega Brands Inc. or its affiliates.
About Mega-Bloks
Mega Bloks creates moments of joy, fun, discovery and learning for you and little one! For more than 30 years we’ve been creating big, stackable building toys designed specifically for the youngest builders’ little hands, to spark their imagination and encourage them at every stage of development. We build quality experiences. Mega Bloks is trusted by parents all over the world to help nurture their child and promote learning, creativity and growth. All of our toys are made from durable, child-safe materials, as we are committed to building safe play experiences for children everywhere.
About Mega Construx
At Mega Construx, we believe that imagination fuels passion, and we want to inspire builders of all ages to create their own worlds and bring them to life. While classic building has been around for decades, we infuse our toys with innovation that makes our building experiences one-of-a-kind. We offer value in every building set, which is why Mega Construx goes beyond the brick to include additional features. Our action-reaction pieces, slime, variety of colors and category-leading, authentically designed and highly-articulated micro action figures are only some of the reasons that set us apart in the toy aisle.
