Toy sustainability is hitting the numbers hard, from only 32.3% of plastic packaging recycled in the EU in 2018 to plastics making up 22.1% of global municipal solid waste. At the same time, 1.3 billion toys were sold in the US in 2023, meaning small packaging and material choices scale up fast. The surprise is that the biggest pressure points sit beyond the toy itself, in supply chain emissions, leakage pathways, and end of life realities that most recycling systems still cannot close.
Key Takeaways
- 4% share of the global plastic packaging market in 2019 accounted for by toys, according to a study of plastic packaging applications by sector
- 14% of global plastic waste leakage to the environment occurs via the waste category “household and packaging,” relevant to toy-related packaging leakage
- 5.6 million tonnes of CO2e were emitted by the US manufacturing sector in 2019 from “materials” supply chains (including plastics/material inputs used across toys)
- 67% of surveyed consumers said they consider environmental impact when choosing products (consumer behavior signal relevant to toy purchasing and brand pressure)
- 78% of companies in the apparel and footwear sector report using at least one environmental product attribute in marketing (adjacent apparel insight often used for textile toys and plush materials), showing prevalence of “environmental claims”
- 56% of EU consumers prefer products with eco-labels (preference signal for toy packaging and product claims), from an EU consumer survey
- 48% of plastic packaging is made from fossil feedstocks (share of plastic derived from fossil resources), relevant to carbon footprint of toy plastics
- 71% of packaging waste in the EU is plastic-free categories? (packaging recycling rate by material is a sustainability benchmark for toy packaging; uses official EU packaging recycling data where plastic rates are lower)
- 20% of global wastewater releases are suspected to contain microplastics, emphasizing treatment and shedding risks for textile-based toy materials
- 1.3 billion toys sold in the US in 2023 (market volume proxy), indicating the scale where product material and packaging impacts matter
- US EPA: plastics are the largest component of municipal solid waste by volume (about 12.0% of MSW by weight in 2018, reported in EPA data tables).
- 22.1% of global municipal solid waste is made of plastics (2019 estimate).
- 32.3% of plastic packaging is recycled in the EU (recycling rate, 2018).
- More than 1,700 hazardous chemical substances are regulated under the EU REACH framework, covering restrictions that influence toy material chemistry (total registered substances count referenced by ECHA).
- 11.4% of total substances notified under the EU CLP regulation are classified as carcinogenic or mutagenic (percentage share, latest ECHA summary).
Toys and their packaging drive major plastic and climate impacts, making recycling and cleaner materials urgently important.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends13 stats
01
4% share of the global plastic packaging market in 2019 accounted for by toys, according to a study of plastic packaging applications by sectorhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105011
02
14% of global plastic waste leakage to the environment occurs via the waste category “household and packaging,” relevant to toy-related packaging leakagehttps://science.sciencemag.org/content/371/6529/768
03
5.6 million tonnes of CO2e were emitted by the US manufacturing sector in 2019 from “materials” supply chains (including plastics/material inputs used across toys)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-02/documents/us-supply-chain-emissions-report.pdf
04
7.2 million metric tons of plastic waste were generated in the US in 2018, providing the baseline for plastic used in toy components and packaginghttps://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/report_estimates_of_materials_municipal_solid_waste_2018.pdf
05
68% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per kg of paper cup compared to a comparable plastic cup has been reported in a life-cycle assessment when using recycling/renewable electricity assumptions (relevant methodology for packaging LCAs)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6660768/
06
90% of global plastic recycling is not achieved and most plastics are incinerated or landfilled (commonly cited inefficiency), affecting end-of-life feasibility for toyshttps://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/
07
2.6 kg of plastic waste per person per week was measured in a study context for leakage drivers in South Asia (affecting end-of-life outcomes of plastic toys/packaging)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118099
08
4.1% of US municipal solid waste was plastic packaging in 2018, relevant for the sustainability impact of toy distribution packaginghttps://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling
09
1.5°C pathway alignment for corporate climate targets was identified as an increasing trend, with toy brands under pressure via supply chain emissions (contextual sustainability reporting)https://sciencebasedtargets.org/resources/
10
20% of global microplastics are released from synthetic textile fibers, relevant to plush/toy textiles sheddinghttps://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf1817
11
36% of toy consumers in a survey reported concern about safety chemicals, motivating restricted-substance compliance and safer materialshttps://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/toys-chemical-risk-assessment.htm
12
91% of surveyed toy industry professionals reported that sustainability is integrated into their company strategy (survey of toy industry sustainability leaders), reflecting high adoption of sustainability planning across the sectorhttps://www.rapidriskassessment.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/TTF-Sustainability-Report-2020.pdf
13
2.5°C of warming risk if current policy is maintained (global climate trajectory), reinforcing the need for decarbonization across toy supply chainshttps://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2023
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across the toy industry, sustainability is becoming a core strategy as 91% of industry professionals report integration into company plans, while the data show the stakes are rising with only 4% of global plastic packaging market share coming from toys and yet plastic leakage, waste, and emissions remain significant, including 7.2 million metric tons of US plastic waste generated in 2018 and the risk of a 2.5°C warming pathway if current policy continues.
02 · Category
Consumer Behavior4 stats
01
67% of surveyed consumers said they consider environmental impact when choosing products (consumer behavior signal relevant to toy purchasing and brand pressure)https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/how-consumers-are-changing-their-buying-decisions
02
78% of companies in the apparel and footwear sector report using at least one environmental product attribute in marketing (adjacent apparel insight often used for textile toys and plush materials), showing prevalence of “environmental claims”https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/report-environmental-claims-fashion
03
56% of EU consumers prefer products with eco-labels (preference signal for toy packaging and product claims), from an EU consumer surveyhttps://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_3492
04
22% of global consumers are influenced by product sustainability messaging on packaging (marketing influence share), relevant to consumer outcomes for greener toy packaginghttps://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2024/01/15/2803659/0/en/Consumers-Expect-More-Sustainable-Packaging-Research-Finds.html
Interpretation
Consumer Behavior Interpretation
With 67% of consumers saying they consider environmental impact when choosing products, consumer behavior in the toy market is clearly being shaped by sustainability concerns, reinforced by 56% of EU shoppers favoring eco-labels and 22% of global consumers being swayed by sustainability messaging on packaging.
03 · Category
Environmental Impact4 stats
01
48% of plastic packaging is made from fossil feedstocks (share of plastic derived from fossil resources), relevant to carbon footprint of toy plasticshttps://www.iea.org/reports/plastics-and-sustainability
02
71% of packaging waste in the EU is plastic-free categories? (packaging recycling rate by material is a sustainability benchmark for toy packaging; uses official EU packaging recycling data where plastic rates are lower)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32018R0940
03
20% of global wastewater releases are suspected to contain microplastics, emphasizing treatment and shedding risks for textile-based toy materialshttps://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1906675116
04
85% of microplastics found in the marine environment are smaller than 5 mm (size distribution), relevant to persistence of microplastic fragments from toy materialshttps://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/Microplastics.aspx
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
For the environmental impact of toy packaging and materials, the key concern is that nearly half of plastic packaging relies on fossil feedstocks at 48%, while microplastics persist as 85% of what is found in the marine environment is smaller than 5 mm, pointing to the lasting pollution footprint from toys beyond what simple waste rates alone can address.
04 · Category
Market Size1 stats
01
1.3 billion toys sold in the US in 2023 (market volume proxy), indicating the scale where product material and packaging impacts matterhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/273449/number-of-toys-sold-in-the-us/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With 1.3 billion toys sold in the US in 2023, the toy industry’s market size is large enough that even small changes in materials and packaging can have a major sustainability impact.
More related reading
05 · Category
Waste & Recycling3 stats
01
US EPA: plastics are the largest component of municipal solid waste by volume (about 12.0% of MSW by weight in 2018, reported in EPA data tables).https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data
02
22.1% of global municipal solid waste is made of plastics (2019 estimate).https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/Global-Plastics-Outlook-2019.pdf
03
32.3% of plastic packaging is recycled in the EU (recycling rate, 2018).https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Municipal_waste_statistics
Interpretation
Waste & Recycling Interpretation
In the Waste and Recycling side of toy sustainability, plastics are a major waste driver with about 12.0% of US municipal solid waste by weight and 22.1% globally, while only 32.3% of plastic packaging gets recycled in the EU, showing how recycling rates lag behind the scale of plastic waste.
06 · Category
Regulation & Compliance4 stats
01
More than 1,700 hazardous chemical substances are regulated under the EU REACH framework, covering restrictions that influence toy material chemistry (total registered substances count referenced by ECHA).https://echa.europa.eu/hot-topics/reach-and-classification-of-substances
02
11.4% of total substances notified under the EU CLP regulation are classified as carcinogenic or mutagenic (percentage share, latest ECHA summary).https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13631/substances-classified-cmr-under-clp_en.pdf
03
US Consumer Product Safety Commission reports 1,113 toy recalls in 2023 (number of toy-related recalls).https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
04
EU RAPEX recorded 2,998 consumer product safety notifications related to toys in 2023 (number of toy-related notifications).https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate/
Interpretation
Regulation & Compliance Interpretation
Across regulation and compliance, toy safety pressure is intensifying as the EU REACH rules cover 1,700-plus hazardous substances and CLP classifies 11.4% of notified substances as carcinogenic or mutagenic, while 2,998 toy-related safety notifications hit EU RAPEX in 2023 and US CPSC logged 1,113 toy recalls the same year.
07 · Category
Climate & Footprints1 stats
01
49.5% of plastic demand is for packaging globally (share of plastic demand, 2021).https://www.plasticseurope.org/en/resources/market-data
Interpretation
Climate & Footprints Interpretation
In the toy industry’s climate and footprints context, packaging alone accounts for 49.5% of global plastic demand, showing that emissions and material impact are closely tied to how toys are wrapped and transported.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Sustainability In The Toy Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-toy-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Sustainability In The Toy Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-toy-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Sustainability In The Toy Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sustainability-in-the-toy-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
30 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)