Eco-friendly toys are more in demand than ever before. The necessity to save the planet through our own actions is a reality firmly on board with most people - and the drive to look take better care of the world often comes from the younger generation.
So what better way to start life than to play with toys that won’t harm the environment in which the children are going to grow up.
Here is a selection of toys from UK suppliers that tick the ‘E’ boxes of Eco-friendly and Entertaining…
Car Carrier Vehicle Set
Green Toys, £23.99 (RRP £34.99)
This is from a delightful range of toys for younger children, made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic, and packaged in cardboard.
The sturdy transporter includes three cars and two slide-out ramps, and is suitable for indoor or outdoor play.
It’s free from BPA, phthalates, PVC and external paints or coatings.
House Playset
Green Toys, £50.49 (RRP £54.99)
Nothing but good reviews for these toys. Same eco details as the car carrier, but this one Includes the house, a convertible car, characters and accessories.
All pieces fit inside for easy clean-up and storage and it’s dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. Bonus.
School of Life Puzzle Construction Game
Fabulabox, £23
Inspired by children’s daily life, the Fabulabox School has reading and puzzles to solve, with your child encouraged to invent stories.
Made in France from cardboard and biodegradable bioplastic, for age 4-10.
Music Basket
Holly & Joe, £24.99
Hand-made from bamboo and seed pod, this is a fantastic set of eco-friendly musical instruments for children, featuring a monkey ladder, bird whistle, duck caller, egg shaker with handle, paper mache shaker, tambourine and ceramic painted flute.
The items can be ordered with or without a basket or bag. All baskets and contents are plastic free, sustainable, recyclable, re-usable, eco-friendly, fair trade and responsibly sourced.
Solar Powered Toy Home Night Light
Casagashop, £9.50
A truly unique gift - and suitable for adults, too. The Casagami is a sustainably developed solar-lit small cardboard house.
Easy to build and decorate, it’s a fun project and a great way to introduce children to alternative energies.
The Casagami weighs less than 50 grams, and arrives in a flat packaging. It can be mailed in an envelope for a lower carbon footprint.
The toy / night light is made from recycled cardboard, is recyclable itself, and of course the low consumption LED light is powered and charged by a solar panel.
Simply place your house on the windowsill to charge the battery - five hours of charging in sunlight will give five hours of lighting, and there is an automatic switch off system when exposed to sunlight.
Baby Sea Turtle Musical Toy
Kind Of Folk Design, £38
This cute 32cm-long baby sea turtle is both a soft cuddly and a musical toy. Pull its cord and hear one and a half minutes of soothing tunes. The turtle also comes as a set with its mother sea turtle soft toy/pillow.
Eco-wise, it is fully handmade with organic denim and sweat jersey, stuffed with pure wool from a Dutch shepherded flock. It has yellow safety eyes and the cord grip has an untreated beech wooden ring and yellow silicon BPA-free child-safe bead.
14-in-1 Solar Transforming Robot
The Source, £19.95
This 31cm-high solar-powered robot can be transformed into no less than 14 different robot models, all with functional movement powered by sunlight or inside lights.
The shapes it can change into include the wagging tail dog, running beetle, walking crab and boxer chaser.
It provides a fun and interesting way to teach children the importance of using clean, renewable energy while letting them have a good time.