Sustainability
By the Numbers
Plastic waste is a problem, and the toy industry is a major contributor.
As our oceans fill with plastic trash there has been a focus across many industries on reducing our carbon footprint, reducing the usage of single use plastic, and reducing the usage of plastic and other "forever materials" in general. The toy industry, sadly, is lagging.
While we do focus on the educational and developmental benefits of the toys we sell, as part of our identity of being inspired by child development, nature, and culture, we also focus on being an environmentally responsible company.
Marley & Moose’s Commitment
Products
To us a good hand shovel is a better toy and learning tool than most plastic gadgets that a kid might bring outside. We do like actual toys, but playing in the dirt is as wholesome, developmentally appropriate, and fun as most things you buy from us or any other store.
Toys that last
That said, the products we focus on are items that have a lifespan beyond a calendar season or a few months. We try to sell items that will not become one of the statistics listed above. Our toys are responsibly sourced and provide value beyond a single use. We also now stock high quality items that empower families to simply get outside and enjoy nature.
Unlike expensive subscription services, we aim for toys that can be reused and repurposed either being passed down to siblings, children, or other friends because they are heirloom quality toys, or because the toys are designed to be used through multiple phases of development.
As an example, our Sabo wooden alphabet blocks are made from natural materials. They are safe for a curious baby to put in their mouth and just the right size when they start gripping and developing fine motor skills. The alphabet blocks have letters and images engraved and can be used for early literacy and language development. The Sabo along with some of our Grimms are unit block sized so they can be used for stacking (or knocking over), but also used to teach counting, adding, and basic math problems.
Suppliers
At Marley & Moose, we target relationships and partners who share our values. When researching new brands to carry, one of the first things we look for is a commitment to sustainability. The commitment we look for extends beyond a statement on a website so we thoroughly examine each brand’s entire supply chain.
Even toys like Lego, which we’ve all stepped on at some point in our adulthood, have a sustainability pledge. Legos are great for replay, but the company has also made a pledge to use sugarcane based plastics by 2032 and has already started using more sustainable packaging.
Eco-Friendly Materials
We look for certifications like FSC on wooden toys and GOTS organic fabrics. We avoid plastic as much as possible, but the plastic items we do carry are either 100% recycled or oceanbound plastics like GreenToys or moving towards plastic alternatives like sugarcane like Lego.
In our effort to move our kids away from screens, we don’t carry anything that requires a battery.
Ethical Manufacturing
Part of being FSC certified means that companies adhere to the 10 principles of forest management including:
- maintain , conserve, and/or restore the ecosystem services and environmental values of managed forests, and also avoid, repair, or mitigate environmental impacts
- Maintain or improve a high conservation value
- Establish a management plan that outlines their economic, environmental, and social policies or objectives
Brands like PlanToys use recycled rubberwood and upcyle leftover sawdust. In addition to ethical manufacturing practices by partnering with only WRAP-certified partners, Keep Nature Wild has committed to picking up 1,000,000 pounds of trash via cleanup programs nationwide. Another example is Trek Light who use 100% recycled clothing material on traditional wooden looms by Indigenous Mexican artisans.
Supply Chain
Whenever possible we work with brands that focus on carbon neutrality throughout their entire supply chain. This is more difficult for smaller brands that do not have the resources, but brands like Osprey and PlanToys have the size and control over company vehicles, purchased electricity, business travel, and transportation of raw materials.
Packaging
One of our biggest learning experiences as new business owners was when we thought we did as much research as we could and then we received our first shipment of inventory wrapped in shrink wrap, double boxed, with everything enclosed in plastic baggies. We immediately knew we could do better.
Since those early days, we’ve been continuously improving our partnerships aiming for items that are sustainably sourced from through the entire lifecycle of the product, including those periods when
Shipping
Eco-Enclose
All of our products are shipped using 100% recycled packaging from our local partner, EcoEnclose. According to EcoEnclose, the average American goes through about 4.5lbs of waste daily, of which 30% of which is packaging. Of that, at least half of the packaging is then landfilled. EcoEnclose aims for a different future where packaging is made from packaging and becomes packaging again.
On top of being a partner with such a great vision, they’re local to us so we don’t need our recycled packaging shipped in other packaging. We just pick it up!
Carbon Neutral
One of our near term goals is to continuously work towards carbon neutrality and zero waste. Doing better is a journey and we will always work towards the destination. To that end, we have been researching
1% For the Planet
