Two more quick questions from Vision Conscious Brands
Vision Conscious Brands has a couple more questions for you.
Thank you so much to everyone who responded to their first questions. If you can, please take another moment and answer these:
1. Of the larger, more mainstream toy companies (found in Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc.) which do you see as the most socially responsible and why? Is there a difference between any of these companies?
2. If you had to choose one, which issue would you like companies to address (assuming lead paint is already a priority):
– philanthropy or community action,
– reducing environmental waste in packaging,
– recycling toys or toy parts/materials,
– ethical labor practices (wages and working conditions),
– toy safety parent education, or
– something else.
I’ll start: I don’t see any toy companies as socially responsible. I do think that some are less harmful than others: Melissa and Doug, for example, or the National Geographic toys. This has less to do with the companies and more to do with the products themselves. Since I don’t buy licensed-character toys, I don’t buy from most major toy companies.
I would like toy companies to produce toys that have one purpose — to encourage developmentally appropriate play. If toys encourage other purchases (like “collect the set” or accessories, or, “be sure to see the movie”), I won’t buy it. If the company’s marketing preys on a child’s natural developmental insecurities (”buy this because everyone has one and you don’t want to be the only one without, do you?”), I won’t buy it either.
And you?
February 25th, 2008 at 9:40 am
1. Of the larger, more mainstream toy companies (found in Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, etc.) which do you see as the most socially responsible and why? Is there a difference between any of these companies?
Um….I’m not sure. I have sworn off toy purchases in any of these stores, so it’s hard to say. I suppose I would agree with you on Melissa and Doug, but I won’t purchase them any more either until they stop making them in China. Also, I have found that the paint chips off terribly on them, and since I can’t be sure that the paint doesn’t contain lead they make me nervous.
2. If you had to choose one, which issue would you like companies to address (assuming lead paint is already a priority):
– philanthropy or community action,
– reducing environmental waste in packaging,
– recycling toys or toy parts/materials,
– ethical labor practices (wages and working conditions),
– toy safety parent education, or
– something else.
This is a tough one. I have a hard time deciding between reducing environmental waste in packaging, recycling toy parts or materials, and ethical labor practices. Can I have all three? ;) I suppose ethical labor practices. I can look at a toy and see the amount of packaging and decide not to buy it because of that. But I can’t look at a toy and know whether the factory workers who made it are paid a fair wage.
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 am
I can’t really help with this one because we only have one of the three stores mentioned here in Australia. I regularly hear disturbing things about Walmart, even here in a country where it doesn’t exist so their unethical labour practices must make BIG news.