Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to wooden toy suppliers to get the lowdown on what their latest offerings bring to the marketplace.

Demand for wooden toys is soaring thanks to increasingly eco-conscious consumers, while imaginative product development and new licensing deals are resulting in impressive new ranges that will secure strong sales at retail this year.

It’s fair to say by now that consumer demand for toys made from more sustainable materials appears to be a permanent change. We’re seeing the positive effects of eco-conscious consumption across all toy categories, but as the ‘original’ sustainable toy material, wood is very well placed indeed to serve the burgeoning demand for planet-friendly playthings.

David Lubliner, head of customer marketing – Europe at Melissa & Doug, told Toy World: “We love wood because it’s natural and renewable and we therefore try to use it whenever we can. Helping ensure the world has thriving forests is an important goal of ours.” And while Neil Montgomery, UK commercial director at Juratoys, says a wooden toy’s carbon footprint is ‘25 times lower than that of a plastic toy’, he also tells Toy World there’s another reason sales are on the up – parents and grandparents are increasingly conscious that traditional toys, which promote creative play, are being looked to more and more by parents and carers wanting to offset the amount of time their kids spend on digital devices.

With news of the latest developments from Melissa & Doug and Juratoys (Janod), plus wooden ranges from the likes of Character Options, Ravensburger (Brio), Toynamics (Hape) and Amaroni (Haba), Toy World takes a look at a selection of the newest wooden toys combining sustainability with play.

To read the full article, which appeared in the August edition of Toy World, click here.