Sustainable wooden toys - What is a reclaimed wood wooden toy?

As an advocate of sustainable toys, we support most wooden toy suppliers as we believe in the authenticity, kindness to the environment (compared to plastic), and long-lasting ability of a wooden toy. Reclaimed wood is a type of sustainable timber materials used in the toy industry besides the use of sustainably sourced wood. So, what does reclaimed wood mean? Why is reclaimed wood better than normal wood? And what is the difference between reclaimed and recycled wood? 

What is reclaimed wood?

Simply put, reclaimed wood is simply ‘reused wood’. It shouldn´t be confused with salvaged wood, which has been cut and stored for several years, but not used for any form of construction. In the interior design realm, there is an increasing trend of DIYers and interior designers incorporating reclaimed wood in their furniture, decor, and even as flooring and main structuring beams. You would see a lot of recycled flooring and wall paneling actually comes from old factories, warehouses, mills, and even railways. 

 

What does reclaimed wood mean in the toy industry?

We see a lot of wooden toy manufacturers and brands using reclaimed wood as the main wood source of their products. Most of them actually reclaiming RUBBER wood, which is a byproduct in the latex industry, which is normally destroyed once the latex is extracted from the rubber tree. In countries such as Indonesia where the rubber and latex industry is thriving, using its by-product to produce solidly good quality wooden toys is a no-brainer for the toy manufacturers to help save the planet without using original timber from ancient woodlands. 

This explains why reclaimed wood is better than normal wood. Because the wood is not planted just for the purpose of making wooden toys, nor it comes from ancient woodlands or forests. As a by-product to the latex, it is much kinder to the environment. 

What is the difference between reclaimed and recycled wood? 

People would relate reclaimed wood with the idea of them actually the same as recycled wood. The reclaimed wood is in fact being recycled in the sense of being reused in its original form, however, it is not quite the same as the actual ‘recycled wood’. 

It is believed that ‘recycled wood’ is a timber that is reverted to a prior state of its cycle, then to be reused as a newly formed material to make a new item. It is likely that the wooden item would have been processed into wood mulch then reconstructed. 

Reclaimed wood, however, is not altered. However, the use of the term ‘recycled’ in all sorts of material reusing processes and scenarios is so broad the terms are usually being cross-referenced and interchangeable.

In terms of which is better, we could argue that if a piece of wood is not going to be processed before it is reused potentially it is more environmentally friendly because of the less use of machinery and electricity. But both means we are reusing an existing piece of timber or tree without having to harvest from an original woodland and forest, which is certainly much better already.

(Referred to this article) 

 

Our Wooden Toys with Reclaimed Wood 

Most wooden toys which are considered to be more sustainable in the modern world, are either made from certified responsibly sourced wood or made from reclaimed wood.

For those who utilise reclaimed wood, mostly use wasted rubberwood from the latex industry to create gorgeous and long-lasting traditional wooden toys for your little ones.

We have an amazing collection of reclaimed wood products in our shop for you to enjoy as well. Not only are they kind to the environment, but they are also really well made. Our customers certainly can prove that to you. We aim to source from smaller toy suppliers as opposed to big toy players to support smaller businesses and particularly, UK businesses whenever possible. 

Please find our full collection of wooden toys available here.