PlanToys is giving parents a new way to deal with the looming pile of abandoned toys thanks to a new partnership with Toycycle.
PlanToys is a manufacturer that championed a commitment to sustainability from the beginning. Since its inception in 1981, it’s used rubberwood to make its products. This wood comes from rubber trees that would otherwise be burned as byproducts of the latex industry. The PlanToys PlayCycle program already does some work toward recycling used toys, encouraging parents to pass on PlanToys toys to other kids, rather than throwing them away.
Now, PlanToys is even further expanding its sustainability through a partnership with Toycycle. Toycycle is a company that resells used children and baby items, including toys, strollers, and other things kids just tend to outgrow quickly.
“The problem is offloading all that stuff in a short period of time when you’re busy working and trying to raise kids,” says Toycycle Founder and CEO Rhonda Collins.“We had no more use for the cradles after about five months, but we did need cribs at that point. The bouncers and swings were replaced by jumperoos around 7 months. And of course, the clothing and the toys — it all has to be swapped out every few months in the early years.”
With the Recommerce partnership, parents can send their gently used toys to Toycycle and earn store credits with PlanToys in the process. PlanToys will cover the shipping, sending a free prepaid shipping label over email, and Toycycle will put the toys up for sale. All parents need to do is gather toys in a box and send it off. And any sold items will grant credits to get new toys.
The overall goal, according to PlanToys, is to create a circular economy of toys. With the alarming statistic that as much as 80% of toys end up in a landfill, it seems to be a noble one.
