The company behind X-Shot, Rainbocorns, and 5 Surprise is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in a major way.
ZURU is expanding upon its long-running sustainability mission with a full 360-degree program for its Bunch O Balloons brand and sweeping changes to its production and packaging for other products.
Following a recycling initiative that launched with TerraCycle last summer, the Bunch O Balloons program has been retooled to prevent an estimated 800 tons of single-use plastic from entering the supply chain each year. Beginning in August, ZURU will begin producing all Bunch O Balloons plastic stems and caps with 100% fully certified and traceable post-consumer recycled plastic. Through the TerraCycle program, consumers will be able to recycle Bunch O Balloons parts, balloon pieces, and foil bag packaging that are currently in the market. The balloons themselves are made of natural latex which will biodegrade.
“The Bunch O Balloons program showcases our all-in commitment to a full-circle approach to sustainability,” says ZURU COO Anna Mowbray. “We are changing to 100% post-consumer recycled plastic materials in our manufacturing and giving it a new life cycle, rather than seeing it end up in landfills and the ocean, as well as providing consumers easy opportunities to recycle yet again.”
The full transformation of the Bunch O Balloons brand is just one piece of a larger effort that began in 2007 when ZURU first eliminated tissue paper from its packaging. Over the past decade, the move toward sustainability has continued through the elimination of wire twist ties in packaging, the adoption of single-wall boxes, and moves to smaller, open-box packs where applicable.
By the end of the year, ZURU will transition an estimated 13 million plastic polybags to sustainably sourced paper bags for its popular surprise toys. Where applicable to maintain overall product quality, the new bags will be found across the 5 Surprise, Smashers, and Rainbocorns brands, in addition to the new Itty Bitty Prettys.
Additional efforts from ZURU this year include evolutions in packaging and tooling for new and existing brands. Its Sparkle Girlz brand will move toward more blister-free packaging as it follows the award-winning, plastic-free “doll cone” packaging used on some of its products. ZURU’s Tiny Town ride-ons, which debuted at Toy Fair New York this year, are designed to stack both during shipping and during retail display. With no packaging required, the carbon footprint for Tiny Town is reduced by more than 75%.
“Earth Day is every day for our amazing team at ZURU,” Mowbray says. “We challenge ourselves to rethink, reduce and recycle in all aspects of our business. From day-to-day operations to leading the change in our industry, and encouraging our customers to do their part in making a long-lasting impact.”
For more commentary from Mowbray on ZURU’s sustainability mission, visit our sister publication, the Toy Book.
