There are few industries more closely tied to the idea of the future than toys – which is exactly why its sustainability journey matters so much.
Despite a challenging few years, featuring a cost-of-living crisis, haphazard tariffing, increasingly complex compliance, and a burgeoning digital age, all adding pressures to the market, the toy industry continues to grow, experiencing its first year over year growth since 2022, according to License Global’s Special Report: Global Toy Trends. As of 2025, the toy market was valued at US $112.73 billion, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.10% from 2026 to 2035, reports Expert Market Research.
Yet, on the ground, toy companies are still reporting that the cost-of-living crisis and price conscientiousness of consumers abounds and is often serving as something of a barrier to further sustainability ambition from companies.
