Environmental Policy 2019

We care about the kids who buy our toys; we want them to have a fun childhood and to grow up with a bright future. Our commitment to sustainability is part of our investment in this. Like all responsible businesses, we want to make sure our impact on the planet is a positive one. So from design and manufacture to distribution and packaging, we’ve embraced sustainable thinking throughout our business. And there’s more to come.

What we are doing

At Keycraft we’ve started a complete overhaul of our thinking and processes, and many changes have been implemented, as detailed below. We will continue this move forward on a rolling program, until these changes are implemented across all of our ranges.

  • We are replacing all PVC where possible with PET (which is a more commonly recyclable plastic) in the packaging of our existing and new product lines.
  • Laminates on cardboard and paper make packaging non-recyclable and therefore we are replacing the laminates with an alternative finish.
  • We are changing over all paper and cardboard packaging used in our products to be from recycled sources.
  • Knowing that consumers want it made easy for them to recycle packaging, we have joined forces with the internationally recognised OPRL (On Pack Recycling Label) system. You will find these symbols on the back of our packaging.
  • All plastic packaging will be marked with the correct identification code to make it easier for consumers to recycle.
  • We are phasing out the use of plastic shot-tags on our plush toys and replacing them with a method that is more environmentally friendly.
  • We are investing heavily in our global operations to enable us to control and guarantee the source of our recycled plastics, and working to establish processes for monitoring the quality and veracity of the materials and their provenance.
  • Where our POS units are not already manufactured using sustainable and recyclable materials we will make changes to use more sustainable materials wherever possible.

Who we are working with

We work closely with key partners who help us to achieve our on-going environmental goals.

We are a member of RECOUP – Recycling of Used Plastics Ltd (www.recoup.org), a charity and leading authority providing expertise and guidance and researching new approaches to plastic development and recycling.  By working with them, we can help protect the planet and its limited resources, while still creating amazing toys for children to enjoy.

We are a member of OPRL – The On-Pack Recycling Label (www.oprl.org.uk). Recognised by the UN Environment Programme as international best practice, the award-winning On-Pack Recycling Label scheme delivers a simple and consistent recycling message on consumer packaging.

Designing for change

We’re currently re-designing our ranges and have changed our design philosophy to ensure that when products, packaging and POS are designed we minimise single-use plastics.

We are exploring new and innovative materials that can be safely used in toy production, which have a lower environmental impact and are more recyclable and sustainable.

Where we want to be

At Keycraft, we’ve taken steps to be more sustainable, but we recognise this is just the start of our journey.  Our commitment is unwavering. Our 3 year vision is to remove all unnecessary and non-recyclable plastic from our packaging. Longer term, our research and development programme is working on a range of innovative, sustainable alternatives to plastic for our future ranges.