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Learn About Eco-Friendly Toys
What is an Eco-Friendly Toy?
What are eco-friendly toys? Both adults and children definitely know what toys are. Dictionaries simply define the word toy as "something for a child to play with". But what about the term "eco-friendly"? Newer dictionaries classify the term as an adjective, which means "not harmful to the environment". That seems to be a pretty broad definition, which can be interpreted to mean a variety of things to different people. Generally, when people today hear the term "eco-friendly", they tend to associate it with the following things: green, trees, organic, non-toxic, safe, natural, etc...
Now when you put the two terms together, the definition that arises is "something for a child to play with that is not harmful to the environment". Again this is a pretty broad definition, but it is definitely a good place to start. What you will also find out is that there is currently no set definition or standard in the toy industry of what exactly constitutes an eco-friendly toy. Our goal at ecoTimeToys.com is to educate parents regarding these types of toys.
For us at ecoTimeToys.com, our definition of eco-friendly toys involves various pre-defined categories. To be considered an eco-friendly toy, a toy must fall into at least multiple categories listed below. While all of our toys fall within some categories, many of our toys fall within all categories! These categories are as follows:
1 - Toys manufactured from Natural Materials
This includes natural wood and organic cotton. Wood is a natural occurring material in our environment. Organic cotton is grown without the use of various pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
2 - Non-Toxic Paint Coatings
This includes the use of water-based and lead-free paints.
3 - Phthalate-Free Plastics
Phthalate is a chemical which is used to soften plastics. In general, we stay away from plastic toys as much as possible. However, if there are any plastics in a toy, it is 100% phthalate-free.
4 - Toys manufactured from Recycled or Sustainable Materials
Many of the toys we carry are manufactured from recycled, sustainable and renewable materials such as recycled wood, recycled plastic, rubberwood and bamboo.
5 - Toys that are Hand-Made or Made in Small Production Batches
Many of our toys come from smaller manufacturers who spend countless hours handcrafting their toys. For example, this process may include: finely crafting and intricately painting a wooden toy, or carefully hand-stitching an organic cotton toy.
6 - Toys manufactured using High Quality Materials & Fabrics
All of our toys are made using very high quality materials and fabrics. You can feel the quality of the materials in every toy we carry; from the solid feel of our wooden toys to the soft touch of our plush toys.
7 - Must pass American and/or European Testing Standards
The European standard for toy safety is referred to as EN71, which is very stringent. ASTM, also know as the American Society for Testing and Materials, monitors toy safety in the United States. All of our toy manufacturers meet either EN71 standards, ASTM standards, or even both standards.
As you may have noticed from the categories above, eco-friendly toys are not only defined as toys that are safe for our planet, but also toys that are safe for children. By making sure that all the toys we carry fall into some or all of the categories above, we are giving you as the parent additional piece of mind that the toys your children are playing with are safe. We definitely feel that our toys are not only safer, but are of much higher quality than the typical mass produced plastic toys you find at your local big name retailer.
Location of Toy Manufacturing
The majority of our toy manufacturers are based either in the United States or Europe. However, the location where our manufacturers actually produce their toys may vary. So you can be better informed, we let you know where all of our toys are made. If they are designed in the home country, but manufactured elsewhere, we state this in the "Features" section of every toy's webpage.
Due to recent toy recalls, specifically from toys made in China, there has been a general backlash of toys made from this region of the world. At ecoTimeToys.com, we feel that labeling a toy made in China as automatically bad or unsafe is wrong. All of our toy manufacturers monitor and control their production facilities very strictly, which help to ensure that the toys are made of utmost quality and safety. Unlike your typical mass producing toy manufacturer, our manufacturers are better able to ensure the quality of the production of their toys, even if the assembly is in China. We believe that the production control of the toy maker is more important than in which country toy production resides.
As a consumer, we feel you have the right to choose however you see fit. If you feel that your toys must be made in the USA or within Europe, please feel free to make that choice; and with us this choice is easy since the majority of our toys fit into those categories. However, at ecoTimeToys.com we feel that the integrity of our manufacturers is the most important factor of why we choose to buy from them, not because of where their toys are made.
If you have any questions or would like more information on eco-friendly toys, please contact us.
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