As the holiday season approaches, parents are increasingly prioritizing sustainable toys for children, with 45% of those under 40 considering environmental credentials in purchases, according to a 2024 Toy Association survey. Earth911's updated guide highlights durable, eco-conscious options made from recycled materials and sustainable sources. These gifts teach environmental responsibility while providing fun and lasting entertainment.
The holiday period often drives high consumption, but choosing sustainable gifts can instill lifelong eco-habits in children. Earth911's list, first published on November 28, 2023, and updated in December 2025, features toys from companies committed to responsible practices, such as using reclaimed materials and reducing waste.
Green Toys offers products like the Recycling Truck, crafted from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs in the USA, free of BPA, phthalates, and PVC, with dishwasher-safe designs and eco-friendly packaging using soy-based inks. It includes sorting chutes for bottles, cans, and paper to educate on recycling. Similarly, the Build-a-Bouquet set, a 44-piece collection of stackable flowers from recycled milk jugs, fosters creativity and saves energy compared to new plastic production.
Tegu's Magnetic Wooden Blocks, made from sustainably sourced Honduran hardwoods with non-toxic finishes, enable gravity-defying builds and support job creation in Honduras. Sets range from 8-piece pouches to 130-piece classroom kits designed to last generations.
PlanToys' Wooden Ocean Animal Set, a 4-piece Montessori playset with a dolphin, orca, shark, and whale, uses rubberwood from defunct latex trees. Produced in a solar-powered Thai factory with organic pigments and formaldehyde-free glue, the company, a pioneer in reclaimed wood for over 40 years, targets carbon neutrality.
GUND's Sustainably Soft Plush Collection, from America's oldest teddy bear maker since 1898, uses recycled fabric, stuffing, thread, and packaging for items like teddy bears and characters such as Bluey. It includes the Forever Friends replacement program for longevity.
Other highlights include Honeysticks beeswax crayons from natural waxes, Wild Planet's Ecokins plush from 16 recycled PET bottles per large animal, reusable magnetic water balloons lasting over 1,000 uses, Deluxebase's 3D wooden puzzles from sustainable wood, and Lunchbots' customizable BPA-free bento boxes.
Books like 'Eyewitness Climate Change' provide climate overviews and action steps, while 'How to Change Everything' by Naomi Klein empowers youth with global stories—earning a Kirkus starred review as 'a uniquely inclusive perspective.' 'To Change a Planet,' a 2023 Green Earth Book Award winner, depicts a climate march through simple narratives.
Beyond toys, experience gifts like museum passes or DIY projects from cardboard minimize waste, encouraging traditions without excess.