When turtles become unicorns: Schleich launches its first recyclable figurines

High-quality, long-lasting and now also recyclable: concluding four years of intensive research, the toy manufacturer Schleich will be releasing its first three recyclable, Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze figurines on 15 July 2024. They are the world's first ever Cradle to Cradle Certified® play figurines. In 2022, Schleich made a commitment to keep improving the sustainability of its long-lasting products. The company aims to produce the majority of its figurines in accordance with the principles of the Cradle to Cradle® circular economy in the course of 2027. This means that the characters can be recycled without any loss of quality. Now, Schleich has reached an important milestone: a turtle, a lion and a bonobo made from recyclable materials are newly available for purchase from its online shop. Beginning in 2025, Schleich will launch additional recyclable figurines every year.

“schleich® figurines are made to bring joy to many generations of children. This longevity is the most sustainable form of consumption, and it has an emotional value, too: our figurines are more than just toys. They are loyal friends and companions for years and years. Children look after them and protect them. But we want to go even further. If a character does end up abandoned by its owner eventually, it can take on a new shape without losing its high quality”, explains Schleich CEO Stefan De Loecker. “We are proud to be the first brand to offer Cradle to Cradle Certified® toy figurines, and we are convinced that this approach is the way forward.”

The detailed, high-quality figurines by schleich® have always been renowned for their longevity, with people passing their childhood figurines on to their own children and grandchildren. A survey* has revealed that 91% of customers have never thrown away a schleich® figurine. Thanks to the Cradle to Cradle® design principle, the figurines will be able to return to the product cycle and become whole new toys in future.

Quality and safety come first
The Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze characters are visually identical to the schleich® characters that are beloved by children all over the world. Like all the brand’s toys, they are authentic, of a high quality and made with a keen eye for detail – but from a new material. “For several years, we looked intensively for recyclable materials that are Cradle to Cradle Certified®. We faced a range of challenges in this process: the material needs to hold the figurines’ paint, for example. There are many safety regulations for toys that must be met, and of course, the figurines need to satisfy our own Schleich quality standards“, explains Dr Philipp Hummel, Head of Sustainability at Schleich. The company’s research efforts have paid off: “We have found a material that meets all these criteria and can be returned to the cycle in its entirety.”

In Germany, the schleich® recycling programme allows consumers to send in their old toys for free.Schleich takes care of the recycling process. By 2027, the programme will be rolled out across all Schleich core markets.

Cradle to Cradle®: a future-proof concept
The Cradle to Cradle® design principle was created to achieve a sustainable, circular economy. Its aim is to design products in a way that allows their constituent materials and substances to be returned into the cycle that created them. The principle is based on new, innovative solutions that are not centred around sacrifices. “We deliberately chose the holistic Cradle to Cradle® approach. It is a system based on positives, which makes it an encouraging concept for a future that is in line with our goals as a toy manufacturer”, explains Dr Philipp Hummel.

As well as recyclability, the certification requires material health, production processes that protect the air and climate, responsibility for clean water and soil, and social accountability in the company and the entire supply chain. “The same applies to our suppliers and strategic partners with whom we have been working on the sustainability of our value creation chain for many years. For instance, we are shortening transport routes by increasingly moving our production to markets where our toys are sold. We increase the amount of renewable energy in our supply chain, and we commit ourselves and all our partners to the highest standards in the area of occupational safety and working conditions”, says Dr Philipp Hummel.

“Circular Stories” sustainability campaign
Seeing sustainability through children’s eyes – this is the idea behind the “Circular Stories” campaign accompanying Schleich’s sustainable transformation. It will be launched globally across various channels in July. In the campaign, children explain the concepts of recyclability and the Cradle to Cradle® design principle in their own words. The purpose of the initiative is to harness children’s imagination and creativity to present the complex topic in an emotional, positive light. In line with the brand claim “where stories begin”, children become storytellers.

*Schleich social media survey with 1327 respondents, February 2023