Cradle to Cradle®:
Schleich cares about a sustainable future for our children and our planet.
SFor more than 85 years, Schleich figurines have been a constant part of childhood. Passed down from generation to generation, they naturally contribute to sustainable play around the world.
But that is not enough for us.
Our goal is to only use sustainable materials in the future. As a first step, the majority of our figurines will be recyclable by the end of 2027. In addition to that and to ensure that resources are reused over and over again, we are optimizing and certifying our figurines and packaging in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle® circular economy principles.
What does Cradle to Cradle® mean?
The Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) sustainability principles aim to use the resources of our planet – for example, the material from which our figurines are made – for as long as possible and then to reuse them again and again. Together with our partner EPEA GmbH, we will develop our figurines and packaging in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle®. This means, among other factors, that Schleich figurines are recycled without loss of material quality. For this purpose, all components of our products must be C2C certified. This includes the material, the colours with which our figurines are painted, and the adhesives.
Our toys are so durable and of such high quality that even today, they are only thrown away in exceptional cases. If this should happen, the consistent implementation of Cradle to Cradle® design principles means that in the future a schleich® dinosaur can ideally become a schleich® dinosaur again - or a lion, a horse, a unicorn, instead of a product with lower material quality. The Cradle to Cradle® approach also requires that production conditions are designed to be particularly environmentally friendly and employee-oriented.
We are certified by our partner EPEA GmbH. In addition to our materials and the production conditions throughout the entire production process, social aspects are also evaluated at all our sites and at our partners. This holistic approach sets Schleich apart in the toy industry.
To ensure that schleich® figurines are fully circular in the future, we are not only optimizing the recyclability of our toys but are aiming at using recycled materials. These materials must meet both our own high quality standards and the legal safety requirements for toys.
However, this is not so simple: Recycled materials often come from various sources. They consist of different materials that are combined together. This can have different effects on their safety and quality. Therefore, it is always necessary to carefully examine the sources of recycled materials. We must ensure that individual substances do not negatively affect the high quality and safety of our toys.
So far, we have not been able to find a suitable source of recycled materials that fully meets our requirements for high quality, sustainability, and safety. Our goal is to have high-quality recycled materials for the production of schleich® figurines in the future through our own recycling program and through cooperation with leading industry partners.
