We know that nothing dampens the mood quite like the subjects of climate change and global environmental collapse. However, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about “green matters” and are eager to make a difference. Generation Z has been dubbed “the green generation.” They value quality over quantity and sustainability plays a role in their daily lives. They actively look for products and services provided via ethical and sustainable practices, and they don’t mind spending their hard-earned cash on built-to-last products that have been made by brands that prioritize sustainability and ethical manufacturing.
As the market for pleasure products continues to grow, so does the carbon footprint of our industry. This was actually one of the main driving forces behind launching our eco-friendly sex toy company, Love Not War, and we hope others in the industry make a move towards sustainable sex toys too.
Just like we have a responsibility to our consumers to create products that are safe, we also have a responsibility to create products that are green.
Let’s learn from each other
When someone in the industry develops a new technology or technique, such as rechargeable toys, waterproof electrical toys and suction toys, we slowly see it being adopted by other brands until over time it becomes the new normal. We’re always learning and adapting from each other and we should be doing the same when it comes to eco-conscious manufacturing too. We hope that in the not-too-distant future, green sex toys will become the norm in the industry, like body-safe silicone has become. We’re still a long way off, but we can make small improvements every day. If you haven’t started already, now is the time to start your own green journey.
So, where do you start?
Monitoring and measuring are the first steps on the green journey. When running a business, it can be easy to look at the short-term benefits rather than play the long game. Many people falsely believe that going green costs a lot, but actually there are many simple steps that you can take that cost very little, yet deliver almost immediate savings.
If you own your own factory, you can start by trying to lower your energy and water consumption and waste production. We do this at our factory by monitoring our monthly bills. Any sustainability expert will tell you this is the most basic step in lowering your carbon emissions.
Our factories have all been set up with heating and air-conditioning timers to minimize energy consumption. You can also work with your teams, teaching them to be more mindful — to close doors behind them, turn off lights in unused rooms and shut down equipment when it’s not being used.
Have a look at your most recent bills and try to make small changes and you will literally be able to see the difference in your next bill.
Talk to an expert
It’s also really worthwhile consulting with a sustainability expert to find new ways to improve. After we met with ours, they highlighted that we could significantly lower our carbon emissions if we used energy from sustainable sources. We have since changed our energy provider to one that uses predominantly hydroelectric sources.
Experts can point you in the right direction and show you techniques and things to consider as you reduce, reuse and recycle on your green journey.
What can you reduce?
Besides reducing your bills, you can look at how you can reduce the materials you are using and the waste produced.
Do you really need so much plastic? Are there alternatives like metal that might work? You could consider recycled aluminum, as it is one of the most widely and easily recycled materials globally, with up to 98 percent of the world’s aluminum currently being recycled.
When you do need to use plastic, can you use recycled plastic and can the plastic you do use be recycled? That new glossy packaging looks great, but maybe there are more eco-conscious alternatives.
What about the amount of energy and water needed to make your products? The process of dying recycled card uses a lot of energy and water, but opting to use certain colors can help you reduce the amount of water you use.
Reuse is also a key to being greener, but how can that apply to the sex toy world?
When it comes to reusing products, our minds jump to reselling — and when it comes to sex toys, there’s understandably not a big resale market out there! But there are other ways you can reuse.
For us, it’s about having a bird’s-eye view of everything that comes in and out of our factories and being aware of what can be repurposed and reused elsewhere.
We also want our consumers never to need to throw their Love Not War toy away, even if something happens to the battery. We have built our sex toys in a way that the battery component can be detached from the head and is compatible with all the heads in our range. This means that the consumer only needs to purchase one battery component, but can buy attachments, giving them access to multiple toys. In the event that something does break, it’s easier to repair, and if that’s not possible then we are happy to accept returns back to our factories to be recycled.
Besides toys, what else can be recycled?
Of course, it’s great to use recycled materials, but you can also recycle the waste in your own factory too. Have you considered recycling the cut-offs from your plastic molding process? Even setting up recycling facilities in your team rooms and training staff on how to recycle can have an impact.
Listen and learn
It’s definitely a learning process and it’s important to listen to feedback from customers and experts to continually find ways to innovate and improve.
Just like we have a responsibility to our consumers to create products that are safe, we also have a responsibility to create products that are green. We know the industry is not perfect and we still have a long way to go, but if we all make a conscious effort to try, just like all other industries, we can strive for net zero.
As the saying goes: “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Will Ranscombe is the co-founder and managing director of the pleasure products company Love Not War.
