Our thinking

From shopping to swapping

3 September, 2021

The global toy industry is worth $90 billion, using 40 tons of plastic for every $1 million in revenues. Yet in the UK, children typically only play with 5% of their toys.  

Every year, UK families spend a total of £5 billion on children’s toys only to see them quickly tossed away as children lose interest. With almost 90% of these toys being made of plastic, it is not a sustainable trend. These unloved toys clutter up homes before eventually ending up in landfills.  

However, through the power of the sharing economy Whirli has created a revolutionary idea for both parents and the planet. The company has created an innovative toy subscription service where customers buy tokens to redeem on toys borrowed from a huge library, renewing each month or sending it back and choosing another toy. If you have renewed it eight times, you can keep it forever, at no extra cost. Whirli promises better value for money, reduced clutter and environmental footprints, and a more varied and interesting playtime for children.  

Whirli’s strapline “Get-Play-Give-Repeat” promotes a movement away from an ownership-model of consumerism. Inspiring a more sustainable and circular approach to consumption that is necessary to reduce our significant plastic pollution problem. Initiatives like Whirli are the key to reframing the meaning of ‘second-hand’, changing perceptions, and educating both children and adults about the joys of sharing, shifting consumer behaviour from shopping to swapping.  

By Chris Perera