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Consumers are wanting to know more about the products they are buying and where they have been sourced and manufactured. Society as a whole is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of making eco-friendly choices. One example being the recent Attenborough TV series, Blue Planet. Seeing the devastating effects that human actions have had on destroying natural habitats has driven the global campaign to reduce plastic consumption and disposal. It is now our duty in the toys and games industry to help make a change for the better.
Gibsons’ Managing Director, Kate Gibson, says “Gibsons recognises that it has a responsibility to the environment beyond legal and regulatory requirements. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and continually improving our environmental performance is an integral part of our business strategy and operating methods. And we encourage customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to do the same.”
All Gibsons jigsaw puzzles are made from 100% recycled cardboard, making them eco-friendly as well as enjoyable to complete. Moreover, many of our jigsaw puzzles are manufactured in Britain, which not only supports UK industries and the British economy, but also ensures that our carbon footprint is kept as low as possible. Those that are not produced in Britain are manufactured in The Netherlands to ensure our carbon footprint is still kept to a minimum.
2019 sees the launch of two brand-new collections in our bid to improve our environmental performance. The first range is a collection of design-led jigsaw puzzles, The White Logo Collection, and the second is a range of special edition 1000 piece puzzles. Both are manufactured in the UK from the thickest board available on the jigsaw puzzle market and are presented in compact boxes to reduce unnecessary cardboard waste. Additionally, the puzzles are secured with paper tabs instead of shrink wrap to avoid additional plastic use.
Furthermore, our wooden games range is not only great fun to play but is also forest friendly. The range consists of a variety of classic games, including Cribbage, Chinese Chequers, Solitaire and four mini travel games which are all manufactured from reforested rubberwood. The rubber trees are only cut down once they are no longer producing rubber and are immediately replaced with another tree.
We have recognised the importance of extending our environmental policy into other areas of the business as well as the manufacturing and production stages. To ensure we are doing everything we can, we have introduced new practices in our head office which include sourcing our milk from the milkman, using bars of soap instead of plastic containers and installing solar panels to our office roof to generate electricity.
We know that there is a long way to go, however, we hope that these small changes will make a big impact in the long run. If we all work together and think about the choices we make in our everyday lives we can help to save the planet.
The only person/company that benefits from these planet friendly 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles is Gibson itself l.e. cheaper to produce. The box is at least one third smaller than the traditional Gibson size box. The picture on the box is obviously recognised as being too small because Gibson has included a marginally larger picture inside and that needed to be folded. This was also too small that the use of a magnifying glass was needed. This is virtuous signalling to the detriment of the customer. Not impressed.