Charlotte Liebling, the founder of Loved Before, an eco-friendly soft-toy adoption agency, might just have the answer to what to do with old stuffed animals.
When 20-year-old Charlotte Liebling from London, UK, worked at a charity shop around eight years ago, she noticed huge piles of donated stuffed animals being tossed in the trash.
As someone who loves stuffed animals, Liebling thought it was a shame to see perfectly good toys being discarded.
She attaches strong emotional and sentimental value to her stuffies, and two years later, she came up with the idea of giving old stuffed animals a new lease on life.
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And that’s how, in 2019, ‘Loved Before,’ an eco-friendly soft-toy adoption agency, was born.
When she researched old stuffed animals, she discovered that these toys almost always end up in landfills, causing a major negative impact on the environment.
These toys are made of synthetic fibers and plastic pellets, taking ages to decompose. They also make up around 6% of the total plastic waste worldwide.
Liebling decided to take matters into her own hands and began encouraging everyone to donate their old stuffed animals to Loved Before.
Their office in Bedfordshire accepts these toys, which people can drop off themselves or send by post. Various resale stores and charities also donate their old plushies to Loved Before.
These old and forlorn toys are given a second chance at life after being washed, cleaned, and refurbished into new toys.
These toys are then sold on Loved Before’s website for around $10 to $15, plus shipping charges. Over the last five years, she has sold an astonishing 60,000 toys.
These pre-loved plushies are also available for sale at three Selfridges department stores across the UK.
Out of all the old stuffed animals received by Loved Before, only about 5% are in terrible shape and need to be discarded, while the rest can be safely reused after some recycling.
According to Liebling, a child can never tell if a toy is brand new or a used one, and she believes, “Secondhand should be given a second chance.”
Even if the toys look poor and in bad shape, Leibling is confident she can find them a new home.
Once received, the toys undergo high-temperature steam cleaning for a thorough cleanse. Depending on their condition, they are repaired if damaged, and more stuffing is added if necessary.
Loved Before’s team recycles around 50-100 toys daily, and each plushie requires around one to five hours of work.
The toys are given cute descriptions and clear pictures when uploaded on the website, and most of them sell out on the same day they are posted.
Liebling claims her website sells these sustainable toys to around 25 countries worldwide, with the United States ranking second after England. She plans to open a collection center in the US very soon.
The Loved Before website is filled with positive reviews from customers who are glad to have purchased sustainable toys.
Apart from creating sustainable toys that are good for the planet, Loved Before also donates 50% of its earnings to different charities each year. This year, Liebling will support Make-A-Wish UK.
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