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It’s not playtime for toy workers in China

With the news of the imminent arrival, I though it best to get researching on the rather massive area of all things baby related. To my dismay, I’ve discovered that most of the main toy brands have a rather dark side and I’m faced with the ethical dilemma of buying toys for my child that may well have caused distress to someone else’s family. What is clear is that it is very difficult to find ethical toys on the high street and avoid potentially risky chemicals found in plastics.

According to a report by Ethical Consumer, 'sweatshop' labour is still a stark reality in toy factories.

"Although most companies we investigated have signed up to support industry standards, when it comes to their factories, these standards just aren't strict enough. Most companies allow staff to work in excess of 60 hours per week, something that we at Ethical Consumer find unacceptable. Their supply chain codes of conduct also make little provision for ensuring workers earn a 'living wage'. Campaigners consistently tell us that the legal minimum wage in countries such as China just isn't enough for people to live on. Shockingly, some workers aren't even receiving this" commented Ruth Rosselson, the report's author.

Despite the existence of industry standards, campaigners continue to find workers rights violations in Chinese factories. Examples include work schedules of more than eighty hours per week, pay rates below the local minimum wage and overcrowded dormitories. Demand for shorter delivery times and low prices makes meeting any kinds of ethical standard difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

Ethical Consumer also discovered disappointing environmental performance.

"Many toys are now made from environmentally damaging materials such as plastics. They incorporate technology which uses more energy can be problematic to dispose of. In future, we'd like to see toy companies take environmental issues more seriously and publish comprehensive environmental reports. None of the major brands supplied us with the standard of reporting we'd expect and few had decent policies for the phase-out of 'risky' chemicals, ” concluded Rosselson.

BOTTOM SCORERS (Ethiscore):
Chicco (10)
Mattel (9)
Hasbro (8.5)
Toys R Us (7)
Walt Disney (6)

Thankfully if you are prepared to shop online or source independent fairtrade shops, there are plenty of 'ethical' toy options available, from fairtrade rag dolls to wooden toys made from sustainable sources.

I’m currently compiling a directory of ethical and eco baby resources at WORDetc.

TOP SCORERS (Ethiscore):
Escor Toys (17) Escor Toys
Lanka Kade (16) Lanka Kade
Green Board Games (15.5) Green Board Games
Holz Wooden Toys (15.5) Holz Wooden Toys
Jumping Frog (15.5) Jumping Frog


Ethiscore is a numerical rating (out of 20) designed to allow consumers to compare companies across a range of corporate responsibility issues, including the environment, human and animal rights. The higher the score, the better a company´s ethical record.

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