Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Plastic Toys
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Abstract
The toy industry is the most plastic-intensive industry in the world, approximately ninety percent of toys purchased in the United States are made of plastic. Plastic toys are harmful to the environment both in their production as well as at their disposal as they create large amounts of greenhouse gases and other toxic emissions and often end up in landfills or the ocean after being disposed of. The goal of this research was to find ways to decrease the carbon footprint of plastic toys and the toy industry. This research examined the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of toys made of materials such as wood, various types of plastic, paper, cardboard, polyester, fleece, and more and found that toys made of plastic had the highest GWP. Buying toys made of alternative materials such as wood, recycled plastic, bioplastic, or other sustainable materials, as well as buying toys secondhand helps to decrease the impact that the toys we are buying have on the environment.
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