Sustainable toys, furniture take the spotlight

Growing awareness of consumers over the effects of harmful materials is spurring production of environment-friendly toys, furniture and home items.

Demand for environment-friendly children's products has been growing steadily in recent years as ecological awareness among consumers likewise increases. With this in consideration, manufacturers are coming up with new products that are sustainable and can be reused.

ecoBirdy, a Belguim-based company, has launched its first collection of children's furniture that are made entirely from recycled plastic toys. Supported by the EU's program for the Competitiveness of Small to Medium Businesses (CoSME), the firm conducted two years of research before coming up with the closed-loop process.

The collection includes a colorful lightweight chair with rounded edges and a matching table, a storage container that resembles a kiwi bird, and a rhinoceros-shaped lamp. The products are free from chemicals, making them nontoxic and health-friendly.

"We found that plastic toys use plastic more intensively than other consumer goods: 80 percent of plastic toys end up in landfills, incinerators or in the ocean," said Joris Vanbriel and Vanessa Yuan, co-founders of ecoBirdy. "By giving old plastic new life, our aim is to free our ecosystem from its pernicious impact."

Meanwhile, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, discarded fishing nets account for 10 percent of total plastic waste in the sea. These items pose great danger marine animals, which can get trapped in these nets and die.

To help alleviate the problem, US manufacturer Bureo has developed a way to upcycle discarded plastic fishing nets. The process involves breaking down the materials and turning them into eco-friendly toys such as skateboards and building blocks.

While the manufacturing of toys using harmful materials might not go away any time soon, volume buyers and consumers can expect that sustainable toys and related items will slowly become more prevalent in the future. Environment-friendly products not only promote a healthier lifestyle, but they help reduce waste over time.