In collaboration with Products of Change, Wastebuster hosted its fourth in its series of webinars, led by Katy Newnham, director of Wastebuster. The latest webinar focused on frontier recycling of plush.
Katy explained the current challenges of plush toy recycling are that the global industry toy industry produces huge volumes of the stuff annually, 1 billion toys, to be precise, with 3 billion toys sold annually in the US alone. Out of this volume, 90% of the toys are made from non-biodegradable plastic, causing 6% of global landfill plastics to be attributed to discarded toys.
Plush toys present a unique challenge as they are made from composite materials, fabrics, fillers, sometimes electrical components. There are a number of recycling methods available and in development, with varying applications and benefits.
Choosing the right recycling method
Currently, mechanical recycling is the cornerstone of plush toy recycling. This involves shredding toys to recover materials, such as polyester fibres which can be repurposed. And Katy explained that there are sorting processes making this more efficient.
All post-consumer plush toys must go through process to remove exteriors and separate materials into distinct streams, something which advances in tech are helping but there are still systems still in development
As a result, the Sustainability Consortium recommends designing toys so batteries and accessories easy to identify and remove.
Advanced sorting technologies are being developed, such as Near-Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy which is critical for separating mixed material toys efficiently.
Katy then introduced Ross Barry from LMB Textiles onto the call who explained the technology in more detail.
(NIR) uses an infrared signal that fires into fabric and bounces back. The recorded wavelength tells you composition of the material. This technology has only been in fibres five years, and originates from plastic recycling.
LMB works across every form of textiles and serves as an aggregator for brands and companies, and a recycling service for recyclers and graders, processing 150 tons a week in the UK. The objective is to, where possible, manage waste where it is produced and get it back into the supply chain in a transparent way.
Ross said that there is lots of development in this area and a big push forward to develop the tech as legislation and policy is demanding it. AI and robotics will play a big part in this.
Another recycling method for plush is chemical recycling, which provides an innovative but complex solution, said Katy, by breaking down polyester into monomers via depolymerisation. This technology could theoretically close the loop but unfortunately the reality is more challenging.
The process emits nine times more GHGs than mechanical recycling and uses more energy and cost so viability is likely decades away.
Recycling cellulose and polyester fibres
Today, 76% of polyester fibres are derived from PET bottles, which may seem like a positive figure however it is not fully sustainable or complete solution as the polyester fibres cannot then be recycled again, closing the stream and likely ending in landfill. Using recycled PET for polyester means taking the material from a more circular system that could be remaking the rPET into more bottles or similar again and again.
A focus on continuing to use polyester in plush and fabrics, recycled or otherwise, also means putting aside growing concerns into microplastic pollution, both for human and environmental health.
However, enzymatic recycling potentially presents a significant breakthrough for PET, as it breaks down PET at a molecular level, reducing contamination and converting the plastic back into monomers as rPET.
The challenge with this, is that often plush is made from composite materials which must be sorted, in addition certain dyes can inhibit the enzyme process. But it does show potential and is more energy efficient then chemical processes. What’s more, it produces monomers of near virgin quality that can even be used in food packaging without degradation. Therefore advancements in enzyme development could become more applicable to plush toys.
Designing with fewer composite materials and higher recyclability will complement enzymatic methods
Potential in bio?
Bio-based plush materials are gaining attention as an alternative to synthetics, options include: organic cotton, flax, bamboo, hemp, PLA, kapok, and algae-based fibres.
They offer a lower carbon footprint, lower emissions and biodegradability. However, challenges are presented if they are mixed with non-biodegradable materials as they can contaminate recycling streams, similarly with composting methods.
When it comes to recycling 100% bio-based plush, industrial composting reduces landfill waste, but achieving successful outcomes requires compatible materials and limited contaminants. Further, consumer awareness is limited and mixed material designs complicate process and limit scalability.
Future focused
Research and innovation must focus on single material designs and hybrid processes to segregate materials and invest in infrastructure to handle bio-based material properly.
Designing for sustainability starts with the choice of material and the construction methods. Single material and detachable components, especially when it comes to e-waste, are essential. It is also important to avoid adhesives and harmful dyes and adopt sustainable production processes.
Clear consumer education into these processes are key, supported by certifications and frameworks for consumer assurance.
These methods are already being applied for the fashion industry and there is great potential in toys.
Future trends and innovations are being shaped by cutting-edge technologies, such as enzymatic recycling, AI and robotic sorting, and bio-based materials. But policy and industry collaboration are essential for scaling these solutions. Such as the UK Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), there to incentivise manufacturers to design products with end of life in mind, and the EU Eco-design for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR), a cornerstone of EU Green Deal, which promotes circular design and will make way for the digital product passports (DPPs), all of which offer opportunities for brand differentiation and investment in the future of their business.
The next Wastebuster Toy Workstream webinar is on 12th March and will focus on ‘Closing the loop with toys and marketing the story.’ Register here.
About Recycle to Read and Wastebuster
Recycle to Read is an impact programme of POC, developed by Wastebuster, a not-for-profit environmental education company on a mission to educate, inspire and empower children to care for the environment. With over eight billion toys sold globally each year, the vast majority of which are made from plastic, while one in eight UK primary schools don’t have a library and one in seven UK children don’t have a book of their own, Recycle to Read brings these two issues together into a solution. It has developed a recycling infrastructure for hard broken plastic toys, which children can exchange for books and educational resources for their school or family.
By becoming a member of Recycle to Read, you can get access to all the research, the recordings, URLs, and partners and suppliers, mentioned in the webinars. Additional member benefits include market access, visibility, branded awards, and insight and consultancy. Existing members already include the likes of Tesco, Harper Collins, Immediate Media, Seymour, Golden Bear, Hasbro, and Smart Games, with many more joining for the 2025 roll-out of the scheme in Tesco that will be inviting 18,000 UK schools to educate children about toys as a force for good to get books to support children’s literacy.
To find out more about signing up to be a member of Recycle to Read, contact Katy Newnham at katy@wastebuster.co.uk.
