Three, Sixty: With Julie Crawford

This is an extract from Issue 63 of SDG Alpha, my newsletter that casts an Irish lens on the world of Impact Investment, Innovation, and Sustainability. In each issue, I pose three questions on the theme of sustainability to an impact entrepreneur or innovator, to get a better understanding in sixty seconds of how they’re working to achieve the SDG targets.

For Issue 63, I spoke with Julie Crawford, the founder of Chip and Dickie, a new sustainable brand which aims to reduce waste from unused and unwanted toys by recycling them and creating children's furniture, and other household items.

On a personal level, what impacts of the climate crisis are you most concerned about?

The environmental impact of plastic cannot be ignored, much of the problem with plastic is however in how it is disposed of and this is in fact is what impacts the environment and ecosystems.?The emphasis on plastic recycling has been more focused on single use plastics e.g.: bottles, packaging, wrapping etc.. and much less about “harder to dispose of” plastic such as toys which are of course not considered single use although in reality, in how they are consumed, it could be argued otherwise.

A UNEP report from 2014 stated:?“the toy industry belongs to the group that uses plastic the most intensively in products”?(Source: UNEP Valuing plastics, 2014).

We are all aware that plastic packaging creates a huge amount of waste and damage in the world, however if you compare buying a bottle of water, the actual mass of the plastic is only about 2% of its total weight. Plastic toys, however, are almost entirely made of hard plastic with varying degrees of quality.?

Unlike single use plastics toys are not typically or easily recycled due to the complexity of their component parts, the variation in plastic types and that they are generally retained for longer in homes before disposal. It is not that easy to dispose of toys either, compared to other household plastics, there are no dedicated facilities and as a result many end up in general waste and therefore dumped and in landfills.

We want to change this.? We want to make this business part of a circular economy. The demand for toys will always be there and the need to dispose will too, as a result. The aim of Chip and Dickie is to reduce plastic waste from toys and put them to good use by recycling them and making items that are practical, usable, durable, cool and of course recyclable once again.

Which of the UN SDGs did you start Chip & Dickie to address?

The main SDG we aim to address is #12: Responsible consumption and production. The toy industry is the most plastic intensive industry in the world!? 90% of toys on the market are made from plastic. The toy industry uses 40 tons of plastic for every 1 million in revenues, meaning it is responsible for 3.6 trillion tonnes of plastic annually. Children have an average of 4 toys they have never played with.? 80% of toys end up in landfill and in some cases, the Ocean.?

We want to reduce and remove plastic toys from the waste stream on their way to landfill and create and design new and useful products from these unwanted and unused toys.? Not only is this about breaking the cycle but it is also about education and formation of new habits when it comes to toy waste disposal and recycling.

How does your business model enable the transition to a low carbon, or more sustainable future?

We want to change the way in which plastic toys are consumed and discarded by inspiring people about sustainability and recycling. Our mission is to combine design, technology and innovation in order to create beauty from waste and to design modern, cool, sustainable products that are beautiful, eco-friendly and versatile.

Chip and Dickie aims to deliver unique, smart, ethical and sustainable product solutions for households. Our ambition is to in time produce larger items and panels that can be crafted and cut into a multitude of items for homes, offices, schools such as desks, work tops, custom built units etc. interior designers, architects / retail designers by creating new material from recycled toys.

There are many facets to this business including working closely with a waste management company to gain access to the raw material. In time hopefully forming partnerships with large toy stores, schools initiatives and co-branding opportunities.

The transformative journey of recycling plastic toys into furniture and other products not only breathes new life into discarded materials but also fosters a sustainable approach to design. This innovative process mitigates environmental impact but also showcases the limitless possibilities of repurposing, proving that beauty and functionality can emerge from the most unexpected sources, and demonstrating that sustainable practices can truly redefine the way we appreciate the objects around us.