An ecological toy is a toy that respects the environment and our beautiful blue planet throughout its existence, from its conception to its passage to the afterlife in toy heaven (they will join Pat, Samantha’s elephant cuddly toy who left too soon after an unfortunate washing machine accident, RIP).
It must have the least possible detrimental impact on the environment. Is an eco-friendly toy made in France possible? The answer with Kojo.
Environmental impact
This impact is usually called “carbon footprint” or “ecological footprint”. The majority of toys imported into France are manufactured in Asian countries, particularly in China. In the so-called world factory, it is established that the productions are very polluting and energy consuming. There is very little transparency on the means of production and there are many abuses. This can be a health risk for toddlers who handle them on a daily basis and for the environment, mainly rivers and lakes. There may be releases of substances hazardous to health.
When plastic toys reach the end of their life, they most often end up in a landfill. Recycling is not always automatic and the democratization of electronic toys makes the task even more difficult. In short, there is no proven solution for recycling plastic toys.
Add to that the transportation of millions of products in containers and our carbon footprint is enough to take a house on Hollywood Boulevard with a cigarette in your hand. Did you know that in France, more than 70% of toys come from China? They travel more than 8,000 kilometers to get to you. Imports account for nearly 50% of France’s CO2 emissions. So this is the toy industry? No ! Because a Starteup populated by die-hard Gauls still resists.
As at Kojo, we have the ecological fiber our toy will be made in France, and even made in Pays de la Loire (Coup de cornemuse).
Kojo & ecology
Our toy will be produced in Rennes, in a recyclable and environmentally friendly material, designed by Futuramat in collaboration with Micro Lynx. To see it more clearly :
– The plastic we use incorporates a 30% vegetable load by mass. The vegetable filler is made of wood chips from the wood industry (sawmill chips, building materials…) whose wood (that’s a lot of wood) comes from PEFC forests, which implies a reduction of greenhouse gases compared to standard polypropylene.
– Absence of phthalates and bisphenol A (not good).
– Produced in France with green electricity.
The material designed by Futuramat has been analyzed by the ETV (Environmental Technology Verification) program. The program provides third-party verification of the performance of the innovative eco-technology that a company brings to market. The test was passed with flying colors. Our toy is 100% recyclable. For Kojo, we can speak of eco-design, i.e. integrating the environment from the design of a product or service, and during all stages of its life cycle. For example, for Kojo, the optimization of the mass of the plates was a very important aspect, for an equal function, the less material is used, the less energy is used and the less carbon is emitted at each stage (manufacturing, transport, energy). An ecological toy, that’s the meaning of our commitment on the whole creation of our Kojo kits.
An ecological and sustainable toy
Kojo was designed to last. The solidity is above all the result of a good design, our engineer worked night and day to make our toy as resistant as possible (the nokia 3310 has to be careful).
An eco-friendly toy made in France is possible if you have the means. It’s not easy, but it’s for the better (and not for the worse). What if we put the “made in France” and the traditional toy back in fashion?
