Inculcating and maintaining the ethic of “every day is Earth Day”, Green Toys Inc. was founded in the year 2007 by Robert von Goeben and Laurie Hyman in California. Mommy & Baby Times digs in about the manufacturing procedure and the market reach of this eco friendly toys brand in a brief chat with Cameron Passmore, Senior Director of Marketing at Green Toys Inc.
October 27, 2018
Green Toys Inc., the award-winning toys brand creates and manufactures environmentally and socially responsible products for kids. These products are made in the USA using 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. The ecologically sustainable toys and tableware by Green Toys are tested throughout every stage of production to meet and even surpass all the relevant safety standards.
Partnership with Sesame Street
About the recent partnership with Sesame Street, Cameron Passmore, Senior Director of Marketing at Green Toys Inc. says that “We’ve partnered with Sesame Street on a line of outdoor activity sets, which is exciting for us as it’s our first license. The range that we have just started this year includes a set called ‘Abby’s Garden’ which has all the prerequisites for kids to start their very own planters.”
“We’ve partnered with Sesame Street on a line of outdoor activity sets… includes a set called ‘Abby’s Garden’ which has all the prerequisites for kids to start their very own planters.”
Dough line
Green Toys had introduced Dough line at the end of the previous year which is made with 100% organic flour in a food facility in the USA. This range is packaged in recycled and recyclable materials printed with soy inks and there are various sets in this particular range that are available in the market.
Green seal ensuring utmost safety
The wherewithal for these toys is the discarded waste that is later collected from the curbs. The Green Toys products are primarily made form plastic that is food-grade and completely non-toxic, as Passmore says “while recycled milk jugs are the primary ingredient in these toys, we sometimes integrate other types of recycled plastic. All the plastic is curbside collected by waste management, cleaned, shredded into flakes, reprocessed into the raw material that we use, and mixed with food-safe, mineral-based coloring.”
These ecologically sustainable toys require utmost assurance, she further adds that: “we test our products at every step along the way from the recycled plastic material to finished product to ensure the safest products for kids.”
Since there is no use of any paints or exterior coatings, if a child is chewing on a toy or teething, or they are using it in a bath tub, it eliminates the risk of anything-chipping, peeling or leeching.
“All the plastic is curbside collected by waste management, cleaned, shredded into flakes, reprocessed into the raw material that we use, and mixed with food-safe, mineral-based coloring.”
Market reach
The USA market is the primary market for the brand, and they are available in independent stores and lifestyle stores. Additionally, the brand has extensive distribution around the world through toy stores, baby stores and via ecommerce as well. Green Toys has coverage in about 75 countries through toy stores, baby stores and via ecommerce as well.
About the marketing strategy, she asserts that “we are still a small team of less than twenty people and so we take a really measured approach. In each year, we probably add maybe two or three new countries to our distribution. But we want to make sure we’re properly supporting the product in the markets we go into.”
Bagging many awards and accolades from the beginning
Green Toys has been the recipient of many awards and honours from the time it was founded which is really noteworthy. The recent mentions being the Toy Insider Awards and San Diego Family’s Summer Toy Review Awards. It is growing consistently and has sort of hit the ground running from the time its foundation stone was laid.
Future is green
There has been a significant rise in the sustainable and recycled products market leading to increase in the plastic recycling. The cachet of the eco-friendly toys market is certainly unique, and is going to rise even further with demand.
Talking about the value proposition of the brand, she remarks that “we are always trying to find ways to use materials in an eco-friendly way, making sure we’re manufacturing responsibly and creating products that can continue in a circular economy, and not creating waste once the product is done with use.”
