Once news broke that some children’s toys were tainted with lead and phthalates (among other chemicals), everyone started paying a lot more attention to what toys were made of and that extra attention even resulted in more eco-friendly toys on the market today. But the green claims made by toy makers are still hard to verify and when it comes to choosing which toys are the safest—for your child and the environment—the best way to know is still to do plenty of independent research into the brands and the individual toy. With any luck, however, that will change soon thanks to the EcoLogo program, a green third-party certification organization that measures both American and Canadian products. EcoLogo has announced that they’re working on developing environmental standards that will allow them to verify whether a toy is as eco-friendly as it claims to be.

EcoLogo already certifies a range of products from pool chemicals to beauty products (you may remember us writing about them revising their personal care product standards to be stricter earlier this year) but they say that they see a need for regulation in the toy industry, where few companies are evaluating the products. Though the toy certification standards are already underway, it’ll be at least a year before EcoLogo is officially certifying toys. In the meantime they’ll be accepting everyone’s input, from toy manufacturers to nonprofit advocacy groups and even you, the parent, to determine what constitutes a green toy and what standards should be in place.

It’s important to note, however, the just because EcoLogo will  be certifying toys, doesn’t mean that the greenwashing in the toy industry will disappear. Applying for EcoLogo certification will be an optional pursuit for a company, not a mandatory act, and some toys will likely still carry false eco-friendly marketing. Play it safe by choosing toys that, with or without EcoLogo certification, feature USDA-certified organic materials, recycled plastics and sustainable materials like hemp (the same green features you’d look for in your own products).

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