06:30, 18 July 2024
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
It’s hard work trying to be better for the planet, but also catering to your kid's needs. It seems like so many kid’s toys are made of plastic, and made to break and be thrown away just as quickly.
smarTrike is an incredible company that specialises in innovatively designed prams, scooters, and bikes that evolve with children's growth.
In the US, nearly 80% of kids' toys end up in landfills, and make up around 6% of the plastics there - clearly, it's having a huge impact on our world and environment. When plastic sits in landfills, pollutants can leach out and into the surrounding soil and water, causing problems for our planet, our wildlife, and other humans.
In honour of Plastic Free July, Smiley News wanted to highlight their incredible work and how they are creating innovative products that are improving kids' health while limiting plastic waste. We caught up with a spokesperson from smarTrike to learn more.
We are all about empowering the coming generations, and about spending more time actively outside. A recent study we conducted reveals that children are spending 4.5X more time on their screens compared to being outside.
Products that inspire activity are only half of the equation here. If businesses do not try to improve the planet through their research and development, there could be no outside for the next generation to enjoy.
Environmental impact has always been important to smarTrike. Whether it’s the solar panels on the company's roofs, or the efforts to reduce waste in our packaging, our products are part of that effort.
Our initial inspiration came from the importance of child development and ensuring children gain the level of outdoor exposure they need to build the necessary skills. When looking into child development, we realised the environment also needs to improve in order to provide the best conditions for kids to develop.
This then also became a key inspiration for us, leading to the development of the Xtend range and helping parents make a difference.
The Xtend range has one key element; you only need one for your kids' entire childhood, and it can even be handed down to siblings.
It features the only extendable scooter, bike and ride-on in the world. The patented extend features allow the products to grow with kids from 12 months to 12 years eliminating the need for parents to buy new rides every year.
By creating products that extend in this way, we are reducing plastic from producing three or four products during a child’s life to just one.
We are also doing everything in our power to limit plastic packaging in our new products.
Absolutely. Today the amount of plastic waste that comes out of the toy industry is insane.
We believe it’s crucial to make the changes wherever we can in order to make a positive environmental impact in this industry that will affect our children during their lifetime, and for many generations to come.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Climate Coalition. This is the UK's largest group of people dedicated to action against climate change. Find out more and support them here.
Climate Reframe. Climate Reframe is committed to supporting the climate and environment movement in its transformation towards greater justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). Find out more.
Every Can Counts. This is a not-for-profit recycling programme, encouraging people to recycle more often, to protect our planet. Support them here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Climate Action.
