Next up in our seasonal swap series Toys!
There's one part of Christmas that can be a real challenge; buying for children (or toy loving adults). The toy industry is the most plastic intensive industry in the world,
90% of toys are made of plastic and most these contain harmful chemicals and metals, such as lead and cadmium.
But there are alternatives; meet Sharon Keilthy!
In a bid to stem the plastic tide, Sharon set up Jiminy Eco Toys and has not looked back.... here's her story and how you can support and Irish business making a difference.
'I set-up Jiminy Eco Toys after trying to buy my daughter a locally-made, plastic-free toy for her 4th birthday. I went into a mainstream Toystore and came out empty-handed. I was sick of the plastic wrapped in plastic, shipped 22,000km from China, that was on the shelves...I couldn't buy it anymore, and figured others probably felt the same.
In the same year I read the 2018 IPCC report and realised there was nothing more important I could be working on than climate. And that using my business skills to help change an industry, in a hands-on way, would be the best form of eco-activism for me.
Jiminy started on a cold November morning with a stall in my local park market. We had 20 products. We now have over 650 eco toys - made in Europe from natural or recycled materials and packed plastic-free - plus 100 nature-themed books - from babies through teens. Experience gifts, and pre-loved gifts, are the most sustainable, but our eco toys come next in that list. They are climate-neutral and minimal-waste. We're proud to be helping people make "a healthy planet to live on" a part of their gift to the kids they love.
You can browse our toys - construction, arts and crafts, wobble boards, soft toys, giant bubbles, board games, baby toys, face paints and cosmetics, wooden toys and puzzles, Christmas bits like wrapping, reusable crackers, Advent calendars - including our age-by-age collections and made-in-Ireland range, at www.jiminy.ie'
