Today, almost 90% of the toys sold around the globe are made of plastics. Plastic is made of fossil fuels, which are one of the primary sources of greenhouse emissions. Additionally, recycling of plastics in products such as... [ view full abstract ]
Today, almost 90% of the toys sold around the globe are made of plastics. Plastic is made of fossil fuels, which are one of the primary sources of greenhouse emissions. Additionally, recycling of plastics in products such as toys is often economically and technically infeasible, resulting in plastics being incinerated if not landfilled. Plastics have been included in the European Circular Economy Action Plan, recognising the role that this emerging concept can play in solving such challenges. However, one of the leading barriers to the diffusion of circular solutions in different sectors is the lack of consumer and user acceptance. Although some research has been conducted on the matter for different types of circular solutions (e.g. remanufacturing, product service systems and product reuse) the toy sector has not been thoroughly addressed despite its environmental, economic and cultural relevance. Considering the challenges mentioned above, a circular approach to developing solutions in this sector seems appropriate. Nonetheless, creating solutions that have a significant potential to be adopted by people, requires a deep understanding of what drives diffusion, particularly at the consumer and user level. This paper aims at providing insights in this regard by exploring consumer perceptions of potential circular toy solutions. To achieve this, we first analysed the current level of ‘circularity’ of specific types of toys targeted to children. Then, and based on these findings, we developed scenarios of possible circular solutions for the selected toys, and presented them to different groups of adults who are responsible for giving toys to children (e.g. parents, grandparents, family friends, teachers) in Norway. Using focus groups and interviews, we explored their perceptions regarding the different scenarios suggested and the reasons behind such judgments and compared them to existing literature on consumer and user acceptance. The findings of this study contribute to advance the knowledge about the level of user's and consumer's acceptance of circular solutions by providing empirical data for an under-explored sector, toys. It also offers insights for practitioners in the industry regarding potential ideas for improving the circularity of the industry.
Keywords: toy industry, plastics, circular economy, consumer acceptance
5c. Circular economy, zero waste & innovation
