Fairtrade Fortnight: ImagiPLAY wooden toys with ethical and ecological integrity
I can't decide what makes me love these toys the most: that they're gorgeous, the prices, the fair trade principles, the eco-friendliness or the fact that this is not mass-marketed plastic TV-branded crap. These beautiful wooden toys are made with sustainably sourced materials - primarily chemical-free rubberwood and non-toxic water-based paints - in factories that are located close to communities so that craftsmen can "maintain quality relationships with their own children while they make toys for others".
ImagiPLAY also claims to visit every factory to ensure there is a safe, clean, respectful working environment, no child labour and only a local workforce paid a fair, living wage. The mark-up on the products isn't huge, however. The Noah's Ark or Day at the Zoo playsets, to give two examples of many, are $99 and only $26.99 respectively, the latter being budget-friendly for many even if the exchange rate isn't working in your favour. Imaginative, long-lasting, sustainable, ethically-produced toys; can you get much better than that?
Couldnt agree more, i think wooden toys in general are so much better than the plastic alternatives. Were possible i always look to buy fairtrade toys for my children. I think although the amount of fairtrade wooden toys available has increased significantly theres still not a massive choice.
If I cant buy fairtrade then i at least look for retailers that sell wooden toys from replenishable sources. In the UK the best store i have found is fantasticals they have a fairly big range of wooden toys and also some fairtrade toys.
Posted by: Nicola Brown | June 20, 2008 11:52 AM