Switzerland’s Adventerra Games has been named the Gold Winner in the Sustainability category of this year’s Play for Change Awards, the annual toy Industries of Europe event devised to celebrate the change makers of the international toy sector.
Winners were announced in Brussels today, where representatives from across the international toy industry gathered to celebrate the innovative and pioneering companies acting to enhance the skills and awareness of their young audiences through play.
Adventerra’s game, Mission Ocean is a board game designed to educate children about ocean plastic pollution by challenging players to collect plastic waste floating among the waves and clean up the seas to protect marine life.
Practising what it preaches, Mission Ocean is 100% recyclable and biodegradable and has been developed in partnership with The Ocean Cleanup organisation to which it donates a portion of the revenues generated by the game.
Of the game, judges – among which Products of Change’s Helena Mansell-Stopher was one – credited the game for ‘the way it raises awareness of an important topic with a link to a real-life project.’ Adventerra Games was also championed for its commitment to sustainability through its operational efforts.
There were three that battled it out for the top spot in the Sustainability category this year, with Silver and Bronze being handed to The LEGO Group and Toynamics Europe respectively. Denmark’s LEGO took second place this year for its company-wide initiative to transition to fully recyclable packaging.
In 2022, LEGO rolled out its first boxes with paper-based packaging in Europe to replace the single-use plastic inside. Owing to paper’s differing qualities compared to plastic, the change affected many parts of the production process. LEGO’s paper-based bags are made from renewable resources and can be recycled in the EU, US, and Canada.
Finally, Toynamics Europe took the Bronze award for its Korko Bowling Set, a playset made entirely from Portuguese cork sourced from an oak forest and obtained by hand-peeling the oak tree bark. The tree bark regenerates every nine years and its regular peeling has been found to help trap more Co2 from the atmosphere.
Of course, it isn’t just sustainability the Play for Change Awards celebrates and this year saw a hard-fought battle for Gold, Silver and Bronze rage across both the Diversity & Inclusion and Life Skills categories, too.
It was Thomas & Friends’ Autistic Character, Bruno the Break Car from Mattel that took Gold in the D&I category this time around as it was praised for its representation of an often overlooked but important audience and its potential to change society’s perception of kids with autism. Bruno is a joyful, pun-making brake car who proudly wears a number 43, referencing 1943 when autism was identified. Bruno rolls in reverse at the end of the train which gives him a unique perspective of the world.
In the same category, Products of Change member, Rubie’s Masquerade placed second for its Wheelchair-friendly costumes while Watoto Toys and Games took the Bronze for its Inclusive Dolls range made to represent the diversity in our society.
There were two Gold award winners in the Life Skills category this year as Learning Resources and World Brands shared the podium for their Switcheroo Coding Crew and Charlie, The Astronaut toys, respectively. Second place went to the 2022-2023 First LEGO League Superpowered season, a programme designed to teach children aged four to 16 STEM subjects; while Bronze was handed to Little Live Pets Mama Surprise from Moose Toys to its efforts in teaching children about taking responsibility.
