Faculty Advisor
Dr. Christie Klimas
Abstract
Toys aid in children’s progression through developmental stages, yet toy production has an environmental impact. This study is the first comparative life cycle assessment of three children’s toys. A life cycle assessment quantifies the impact of an item in comparable impact categories (i.e. global warming potential in kg CO2 equivalents). In this study, we use open LCA to compare toy impact from production to use. The results indicate that the plastic polybutylene carried the highest impact in terms of global warming potential for our predominantly plastic toy. The addition of a battery to the plush dog increased the toy’s eutrophication potential by a factor of 2.398. These results indicate some of the materials that consumers may want to avoid or minimize when purchasing toys.
Recommended Citation
Robertson, Madeline R. and Klimas, Christie
(2019)
"A Playful Life Cycle Assessment of the Environmental Impact of Children's Toys,"
DePaul Discoveries: Volume 8, Article 7.
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/depaul-disc/vol8/iss1/7
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, Life Sciences Commons, Other Geography Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons