Hasbro gives your favorite toy a second life

At Christmas, there are traditionally lots of toys under the tree. But what happens to the toy that can no longer be used? Very few consumers know that toys unfortunately cannot be processed via conventional recycling plants.

This means that if a toy is actually broken after years of intensive use and passing on to younger family members, flea markets, etc., it ends up in the landfill. This is not only bad for the environment, but the high-quality raw materials cannot be used to manufacture other products.

Recycling and reuse

Rafaela Hartenstein, European Director Corporate Affairs at Hasbro, explains what the company, which produces well-known classics such as Monopoly, Nerf or Play-Doh dough, is doing about it: “At Hasbro, we have been working for more than a decade to make our company more sustainable. One initiative is that we were the first toy manufacturer in the world to launch a toy recycling program in the USA in 2018, which we financed. This program also exists in Germany. Here, families can return their Hasbro games and toys free of charge, and we work with specialized partners to recycle and reuse the materials. Our corporate goal is to make the world a better place for children and families. And this programme is one of many initiatives we have launched for this purpose. Just this autumn, our Hasbro toy recycling program was also awarded the gold medal in the sustainability category by the European Toy Association TIE. We hope that this award will make even more consumers aware of our program and encourage them to join in to give toys a second life.”

Participating in the Hasbro Toy Recycling Program is easy and free for consumers onwww.hasbrotoyrecycling.de. After a short registration for the program, you can print out a free shipping label and return the toy by post. Alternatively, you can check the website to see which public collection points are nearby and drop off the toys there. This means a collected and thus more environmentally friendly submission of the products.

With the help of specialized recycling companies, the returned toys are dismantled and sorted by material. The various materials such as plastics or metals are then brought back into a raw material state from which new products can be manufactured. For example, the beloved toy becomes a flower pot, a park bench or a storage box. This saves resources and thus protects the environment.

“Every consumer can also register such a public collection point themselves,” adds Rafaela Hartenstein. “The only requirement is that it is publicly accessible. Then the operator gets collection points for every kilo of returned toys: These are worth pure money, and you can donate the equivalent value to a non-profit organization of your choice, for example in the neighborhood. In this way, the collection and recycling of toys can become a sustainable, non-profit project for communities, school classes or associations.”

A special tip for parents: In order to teach children environmental awareness, you can collect the no longer usable toys together with your offspring. The direct environment can also be integrated and inspired. Children thus develop their own sense of responsibility, which gives them a personal connection to sustainability.