In a bid to raise children’s awareness of plastic waste, recycling and sustainability, Dutch start-up Ecobirdy is transforming unwanted plastic toys into kids’ furniture.

According to the brand, 80% of plastic toys end up in landfill or incinerators, while 90% have a lifespan of just six months. In response, it has developed a system that encompasses the collection and recycling of unwanted plastic toys, right through to the design and production of furniture pieces.

Unveiled at Maison & Objet last week (January 19-23), the first collection includes soft-formed chairs, round-edged tables, rhino-shaped lamps and a storage box shaped like a kiwi bird. The pieces are made out of Ecothylene – a new material developed by Ecobirdy that’s 100% recycled plastic.

The plastic toys are separated by colour, cleaned and grinded, resulting in pure, chemical-free flakes ready for moulding. The speckled finish of each item aims to help children recognise a recycled material, with the colours from their toys still being visible.

To introduce kids to the circular economy and raise awareness of plastic recycling, a storybook and school programme have been designed to accompany the process. Children are then invited to donate unwanted toys and are informed when their items have been recycled into new furniture. See Rethinking Plastics: Circular Consumption for other initiatives.

Ecobirdy hopes that increasing children’s consciousness of plastic waste will help them contribute to a sustainable future. See Gen Alpha: Childhood Rebooted for more insight into this generation.