Gibsons

Sustainability is an integral part of our strategic plan, and we ensure it is built into every department of the business. We have recently achieved B Corp certification, having met B Lab’s high standards for environmental and social responsibility. We are proud to be part of this global community of companies committed to using their business for good, creating a more sustainable and equitable world.

As part of our Green Game Plan, more than 75% of our products have gone through a process to improve our environmental impact. This included removing plastic shrink-wrap, making boxes smaller and using recycled materials and vegetable inks. Our traditional puzzle boxes were given a brand-new look last year and are now smaller (a whole 29% smaller on average) and no longer wrapped in cellophane. This saves 521,096m of plastic per year (the same as the length of 4300 football pitches!), and the smaller boxes require less room to transport the products, which reduces our carbon footprint. The Little Gibsons jigsaw puzzles and games no longer come with plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Two new card games, Quirk and Card Game For Rebel Girls were released in 2020 and both are made in the UK and are plastic free. A vegetable-based ink is used to print the puzzle box and artwork and the puzzle pieces are made from 100% recycled board. The puzzles in this range are manufactured in the UK and Europe, again reducing carbon emissions when transporting them to our warehouse. We have also made many changes at the Gibsons Head Office, including installing solar panels, switching plastic bottles of milk to glass ones, encouraging the team to walk to work rather than driving, and recycling 75% of our office waste thanks to working with Successful Sutton. There is still a long way to go, but we are pleased with our progress.

Our jigsaw puzzles are made from 100% recycled puzzle board. The jigsaws now come in a planet friendly box to help reduce plastic waste - puzzle box lids are secured with sturdy biodegradable clear tabs, so there’s no shrink-wrap. Vegetable-based inks are used on the puzzle pieces and the box lid illustrations. Box size has been reduced by over 25%, so no excess cardboard, which positively impacts storage and transport – and therefore helps reduce Gibsons’ overall carbon footprint. The puzzles are manufactured in the UK and Europe.

Gibsons are committed to only working with suppliers that operate to the highest standards. Existing and new suppliers will be required to be ICTI audited (to join the Ethical Toy Programme). A new ethical policy is being compiled and will be available later this year.

B Corp