![]() This piece first appeared on The Conversation. And look for toys made of simpler materials able to be recycled at the end of their lives - or even for the Barbie dolls made out of ocean plastics.Īlan Pears is a senior industry fellow at RMIT University. Think of the enduring popularity of brick-based toys or magnetic tiles. Instead, look for toys that will last - and which will lend themselves to longer-term creative play. So what should you do?įor starters, we can avoid cheap and nasty toys which are likely to break very quickly. If you're a parent or an indulgent grandparent, it's hard to avoid buying toys entirely - especially if your child gets obsessed with Barbie dolls after seeing the movie. While gaming produces e-waste streams, it is also a likely cause of the longer-term fall in the popularity of plastic toys. Gaming, for instance, has moved to centre stage for many older children. While movies in the 1980s were often " toyetic" - conceived with an eye to toy sales - the trend is on the wane. While Barbie dolls had an uptick in popularity during the pandemic years - and will no doubt have another surge alongside the movie - longer-term trends are dampening plastic toy impact. Some plastic-dependent brands such as Lego are unilaterally moving away from petrochemical-based plastic in favour of sugarcane-based plastic. Governments can set up effective recovery and recycling systems able to handle toys. We can look to the European and American bans on BPA-containing plastics in infant milk bottles as an example of what's possible. To their credit, some toymakers have cut back on plastic in their packaging, given packaging immediately becomes waste. And battery-powered toys should be avoided wherever possible, as they can double a toy's climate impact and turn a plastic waste problem into an electronic waste problem. Toys should be as light as possible, to minimise transport emissions. Toy manufacturers can - and should - use low-carbon materials and supply chains, and focus on making toys easily dissembled. To date, there has been little focus on making the toy industry more sustainable. So the question is, how can we cut our emissions to zero as fast as possible to ensure we and our children have a liveable climate - without putting a blanket ban on plastic toys? After all, toys and entertainment add happiness to our lives. In the US, it's estimated emissions from the plastics industry will overtake those from coal within seven years. By my calculations, emissions on average across all these types of toys are about 4.5 kilograms per kilogram of toys. The researchers analysed seven other types of toys, including Lego sets and Jenga. Youll be able to mark your mistakes quite easily. ![]() Record yourself saying jenga in full sentences, then watch yourself and listen. ![]() Every 182 gram doll caused about 660 grams of carbon emissions, including plastic production, manufacture and transport. Here are 4 tips that should help you perfect your pronunciation of jenga: Break jenga down into sounds : say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them. American researchers last year quantified what each doll costs the climate. ![]()
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