Toy Industries Europe (TIE) opened entries to its annual Play for Change Awards last month, including to its Sustainability category.
The awards celebrates the achievements of toy companies across Diversity & Inclusion, Life Skills, and Sustainability.
The Play for Change Awards recognises the toymakers who drive positive social, educational and environmental change through play. Now in its seventh edition, the Awards showcase meaningful innovation, purposeful design, and products that go beyond entertainment to shape a better future.
POC has been involved with TIE and the Sustainability category of the awards for a number of years now, helping to build the framework and criteria for which the sustainability of the toys are judged, and with POC’s founder and CEO, Helena Mansell-Stopher also being part of the judging panel for the category.
The Sustainability category looks for companies creating 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 throughout the lifecycle of a toy, including:
- Improved product or packaging design
- More sustainable materials for products and packaging
- Customer support for repair, reuse, recycling, and end-of-life solutions
- Reduced environmental impact in transport and logistics
- New editions of existing toys with improved environmental performance
- Toys that help children learn about environmental issues
Building on five successful years, the Awards have evolved into a benchmark for excellence in purpose-driven toy development and impactful initiatives. The increasing quality and diversity of entries underscore the industry’s commitment to creating products and programmes that not only entertain but also empower, educate, and inspire.
Helena explained how when it first began, there were so many fewer companies meeting the sustainability criteria, but every year it has grown, and last year in particular saw a marked increase in the quality and commitment of the application, demonstrating the direction of travel for the industry. This was exemplified by the fact that the sustainability category had four winners, rather than the usual three (bronze, silver, gold).
Last year’s winners include: Mattel, D&R Denkriesen, Smoby Toys, Playmobil, Miniland, LEGO Group, Learning Resources.
There is not much time left to enter, with the submission deadline approaching on 1 July, so submit your entry today here.
