When it comes to sustainability, we don’t play around at J-Tech Solar. It’s important to make eco-friendly decisions whether you’re purchasing solar panels for your home or toys for your child’s playroom. This week we take a look at how to make play time more environmentally friendly.

When it comes to sustainability, we don’t play around at J-Tech Solar. It’s important to make eco-friendly decisions whether you’re purchasing solar panels for your home or toys for your child’s playroom. This week we take a look at how to make play time more environmentally friendly.

Manufacturing green toys takes a little extra effort and a lot of creativity. To be eco-friendly, companies try to produce toys without metal, glue, paint or screws. They also must replace plastic with recycled materials. In spite of the challenge, there is a growing market for sustainable toys. This push for green alternatives has motivated large toy corporations to reduce their carbon footprint.

LEGOs have been a playroom stable for decades, but these iconic bricks are getting an eco-friendly update. The traditional manufacturing method for these colorful, stackable toys uses an oil-based ABS plastic. While this material is sturdy and has a high melting point, it’s not very good for the planet. After spending millions of dollars in research, LEGO has announced that it will implement new sustainable manufacturing and packaging practices. The company hopes to produce all of its 60 billion blocks with eco-friendly materials by 2030.

When shopping for green toys for your kids, here are four quick tips to keep in mind in the toy store.

1. Look for toys made with all natural materials, like wood and cotton, and don’t be fooled by the finish. Sometimes the toys are made with natural materials and then coated with artificial finishes and dyes.
2. Quality over quantity. Buying better toys and fewer of them is another way to reduce your carbon footprint in the playroom. Limiting your toy purchases not only increases your sustainability, but it also reduces clutter in your play area and reduces spending on toys.
3. Check your home for items that can be repurposed into toys for your kids.
4. Stay away from cheap plastics. While it’s difficult to completely avoid a plastic invasion in your playroom, keep an eye out for green alternatives. For example, replace plastic blocks with more sustainable wooden ones.

If you want to be absolutely certain that you’re buying green toys, look for retailers that specialize in sustainability.

Green Toys prioritizes sustainability in their product design from start to finish. Each of their toys is made in the USA from 100 percent recycled materials. Recycled milk jugs are one of the main ingredients when in their toy manufacturing process. Safety is their number one priority when it comes to creating fun, kid-friendly toys that won’t damage the environment. Even the packaging is eco-friendly at Green Toys. The boxes are printed with soy ink, which is a renewable resource that comes from soybeans. Check out greentoys.com to see their full line of environmentally friendly toys for you child.

The Ultimate Green Store is another good resource when it comes to making play time more sustainable. The toys sold on this website are designed to keep kids entertained from infancy to adolescence. Many are made out of wood, which is a green alternative to plastic manufacturing. All of the products sold on this website are classified as eco-friendly. This means that the toys and other items you buy from The Ultimate Green Store are natural, recycled and/or organic.