Climate anxiety is rising in children in the UK, with 70% worried about the world they will inherit (Save the Children survey of children 2022).
Toys are where children are first exposed to shopping, creating a culture of consumption and waste, that influences the rest of their lives and the values they hold as future consumers. Use this Plastic Free July to take small steps and make a big difference, through a 31 day plastic detox, helping children feel more empowered about how they can make a difference now with how they buy and consume plastic, which will stay with them throughout their lives.
Our 31 day plastic detox is based on the R's of Sustainability:
REFUSE to buy and turn off the plastic tap
REPURPOSE broken and incomplete toys
REPAIR incomplete toys so they can be REGIFTED
RETHINK. Choose sustainable alternatives and shop consciously and conscientiously including pre-loved.
REDUCE by choosing better quality, designed to last a childhood. Not all plastic is created equal! Avoid tat, low grade, throwaway toys.
ROT & RECYCLE. Choose toys made of natural materials like wood, cork, bamboo, rubber, linen and organic cotton or paper and card based toys, crafts and stickers that can be recycled.
REUSE by REPURPOSING, REPAIRING, and using toy ROTATION.
Below are 40 ways you can take steps to reduce plastic. How many of the following can you do in one month?
Children's toys are the most plastic intensive industry globally with 36.5 million toys annually thrown away in the UK. 2 in 5 halloween costumes are only worn once before being thrown into landfill, that's 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste and on UK beaches, an estimated 1402 tonnes of plastic toys are lost, discarded and abandoned annually.
Children are eco-anxious and worried about the world they will inherit. They want to know how they can help make things better today, and it is our responsibility to give them the tools to be a conscientious consumer. Taking a plastic detox approach to what we choose to buy and the toys they have, will empower them now and as an adult and be a big step towards addressing our plastic consumption and waste.
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