Rattles, small trains, shape sorters, cups to stack… In its workshops located near Oyonnax (Ain), the Simple Toy imagines and designs “mono-material” toys in recycled plastic, without screws, glue or stickers. that will survive long after Santa Claus has passed. The young SME has indeed developed a deposit system that works with a QR code and which allows the toys manufactured to be recovered, once the child has outgrown them.
Because, in the world of early childhood, everything goes very quickly. Pierre Véron, founding director of the Simple Toy, who spent eight years in the world of games before creating his company, was able to verify this. “At the first age, there is an overabundance of toys offered and almost never used or inappropriate for the awakening of the child. Most are complex, designed with different materials, light, music… It’s absurd. »
When the toy is returned, the customer recovers 15% of the sale price
To fight against this waste, the Simple Toy, which has produced 30,000 toys since its creation a year and a half ago, offers its customers to send them back once the object has become obsolete for the child. “This is the very definition of eco-design: thinking about the end of life of the product from its design”, explains Pierre Véron. The return of the consigned toy is free for the customer, who recovers 15% of the sale price, ie an average of 3 euros credited back or in the form of a purchase voucher.
“If the toy is too damaged, it is crushed and its material reused to produce another one. If it is in good condition, it is reconditioned and put back into the second-hand circuit”, specifies the company manager. The Simple Toy hopes to reduce its consumption of plastic material as much as possible. In order to facilitate returns, the young SME is working on setting up collection terminals. “People are happy to buy our toys,” assures Pierre Véron. The idea of recycling rather than throwing away appeals a lot. »