Six reasons why wooden railways make great ethical gifts this Christmas:

If, like many of us, you’re trying hard to shop in an ethical, eco-conscious way this year, wooden railway toys can be a brilliant option. They tick so many boxes, from the recycled wood they’re made from, the way they’re manufactured, the way they’re sold, their packaging, their longevity, and their themes. We’re picked out some of the reasons why wooden trains and train tracks make great ethical and environmentally friendly present choices below:

Made from sustainable materials:

Wooden train toys tend to be made of (yes you guessed it!) wood! Which is a great green and ethical choice. But more than that, we make sure that the wood that is used to make the wooden railway tracks, trains and accessories that we stock is sustainably sourced. For example Brio toys use only wood from sustainably and responsibly managed forests, under the Forest Stewardship Council. And Bigjgs toys are made from rubber wood, which is a by product of the latex industry. Buying toys made out of a recycled product in this way is a great way to reduce waste. And the wood for our HAPE toys comes from their very own bamboo forests, These sustainable wooden materials mean our range is a great place to look if you’re looking for a plastic-free gifts this year.

 

Ethical manufacturing process:

We make sure that all the toys we stock at Wooden Railways Direct come from companies with a great environmental and ethical ethos. For example the Bijigs toys we stock are made in factories with rigorously upheld standards and working conditions and all our Brio toys are manufactured under good, fair, and internationally acceptable working conditions as set by the UN.

 

Supporting independent UK Businesses:

Choosing to buy your toy trains from us at Wooden Railways Direct is fab choice in terms of supporting UK independent businesses. We are a family owned business based in Stroud in Gloucestershire, and we’ve specialised in selling children's train sets for over 25 years now. We pride ourselves on our product knowledge and customer service, and by choosing to buy your gifts from us this Christmas you are doing a great thing to support an independent local businesses. You can also be sure that all of our range has been rigorously tested by our small tribe of children and cousins, who take the whole wooden train thing very seriously indeed!

 

Avoiding plastic packaging:

Another great things about our trains and train accessories is their predominantly recycled cardboard packaging. Our main suppliers including both Brio and Bigigs work hard to avoid plastic in their packaging whenever possible, which means there is minimal plastic to sort and recycle on Christmas Day. The cardboard we use at Wooden Railways Direct to send out your parcels in is actually double recycled as we carefully re-use all the packaging that our goods arrive in to send them out again. 

 

Longevity and play value:

Wooden trains and track really are timeless toys! They are amazingly durable and they stand up to years of rough play (believe me our three children have tested this to the limits!). This means they don’t need replacing each year like some modern flimsy plastic toys will. They are the type of toy you can keep for future grandchildren who will love them just as much. Wooden trains and railways also have brilliant play value and children will return to them time and time again, always inventing imaginative new games. Their wooden railways will be toys that the kids want to hold onto for years, unlike the latest plastic toy crazes that will come and go rapidly and end up in next year’s charity shop pile! 

 

Choice of themes:

We stock wooden railway toys in a range of themes so there’s something for everyone, but we’re particularly excited about the new coastal range of trains and railway accessories. This range includes a fab coastal clean up train set, with magnetic pieces to sort into the recycling bins, and a lovely booklet with information about recycling and keeping our beautiful beaches clean. We love the way toys can be used to teach your little ones important information about looking after our planet, and encourage them to explore ideas of sustainability and good stewardship in a fun and creative way.

 

So we hope that helps you with your ethical present shopping, and eco-friendly parenting this year, and if you do have any questions then we’d love to hear from you. Please drop us line at info@wooden-railways-direct.co.uk.